Traditional Irish Coddle

INGREDIENTS

  • 4 lbs potatoes, peeled and chopped
  • 1 lb pork sausage
  • 1 lb bacon, chopped
  • 2 cups beef or chicken broth
  • 1 bottle (12 oz) Guinness or dark stout beer (optional)
  • 2 large onions, sliced
  • 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

PREPARATION
Preheat oven to 300°F.
In a large oven-safe Dutch oven, cook the bacon until crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove bacon to drain on paper towels; do not drain grease.
Add sausages to pot and cook until golden brown on each side, taking care not to crowd pan. (You don’t need to cook them all the way through at this point.) Remove to a plate and slice into pieces, once cool enough to handle.
Reduce heat to low and whisk in flour. Cook for 2 minutes, just to remove the floury taste, whisking constantly. Remove pot from heat and whisk in Guinness. (Note: if you don’t want to use beer, just use additional broth in its place.)
Add half of the potatoes to the pot, followed by half of the onions, half of the garlic, half of the bacon, half of the sausages, half the parsley, one bay leaf, and season with salt and pepper. Repeat layers with remaining ingredients and season once more.
Pour broth over the top and cover with a tight fitting lid. Bake for a minimum of 2 hours, but it can stay in for up to 5 hours if you’d like. Enjoy!