Irish Stew

Here is a mouth-watering, contemporary version of Irish stew made with ground lamb layered with red potatoes (they have less starch and hold their shape better than Yukon Golds).
Ingredients :

• 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 Spanish onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 2 lb. ground lamb
• 1 tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary (or 1 tsp. dried)
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 2 cups chopped canned tomatoes
• 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• 3 lb. red potatoes, thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 1 cup grated Cheddar cheese

Cooking Procedures :

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.  Prepare a buttered casserole.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add onions and sauté for 5 minutes.  Remove from skillet and reserve.
3. Add lamb and sauté until it loses its pinkness for about 5 minutes.  Add rosemary, wine, tomatoes, Worcestershire and mustard.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until sauce has reduced and thickened slightly.  Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper as needed.
4. Toss potato slices with salt and pepper.  In a prepared casserole, layer one-third of the potatoes, half the garlic, half the onions and half the lamb mixture.  Finish with the remaining potatoes and dot with butter.
5. Covered and bake for about 30 minutes.  Uncover, sprinkle with cheese and bake for another 30 minutes longer, or until potatoes are tender.
6. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

COOKING WITH FRESH HERBS.  It adds excellent flavour to all dishes, but they are not always available.  If you substitute dried herbs, use one-third the amount (e.g. 1 tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary = 1 tsp. dried).