Dublin Coddle

Some cold, chilly winter night, wouldn’t it be perfect to cuddle up with a warm, hearty, rich, and absolutely sumptuous Irish stew? I’m talking about Dublin coddle—a dish that’s cozy beyond cozy!

I make it with rashers (which are just another name for bacon) and bangers (that’s sausages, of course). I love layering it all with onions and potatoes—though sometimes I swap in turnips for a keto-friendly twist. Then, I slow cook it for hours, letting everything simmer together with chicken broth in the oven at a low temperature. And let me tell you, the result is pure magic in a bowl!

Honestly, you wouldn’t believe how something so delicious could come from such rustic and humble ingredients. I’ve even got slow cooker and Instant Pot directions to make it even easier. You’re going to love this one—I know I do!

St. Patrick’s day is just around the corner. If you are looking for some authentic Irish food, this is it! For years we have been eating corned beef and cabbage, which is not actually authentic Irish food. It was made famous by Irish Americans.

This stew, on the other hand, has deep roots in Irish food culture and is beloved by the locals. I love the simplicity and easiness of this coddle and the bursting flavors and heart warming coziness you feel after finishing a bowl full of this deliciousness, alongside some nice crusty bread.

What is Dublin Coddle?

Dublin is the capital of Ireland and coddle means cooking slow and gentle. This traditional potato and sausage stew is classic comfort food at its best!

Sausage and potatoes just seem to go great together in so many recipes like Zuppa Toscana and sausage potato casserole.

This Irish coddle is inexpensive, easy to prepare and is often eaten in winter months, as it is packed with the protein and fat needed in cold weather. This rustic fare has been served in Dublin and the center of Ireland since the 1600’s.

The beauty of all this is it needs very few ingredients. Many of them are already in your kitchen.

Ingredients Needed

• Bacon – Cut into 1 inch strips. Mmm, we’re off to a mighty good start!
• Sausage – If you have access to traditional bangers, great. If not, no problem, any good pork sausage links will work. I am using beer brats.
• Potatoes – Washed and cut into chunks. You want something starchy. Russet, Idaho and Yukon gold are my top choices.
• Onions – Cut into rings.
• Garlic – Cut into large slices.
• Chicken broth – For flavor and to cook the potatoes.
• Bay leaves – For their distinctive flavor.
• Fresh thyme – One of my favorite herbs.
• Fresh parsley – For a little extra flavor and a lot of extra color.

Dublin Coddle Recipe

Get the biggest, deepest dutch oven you can find in your kitchen, as this is a one pot meal and you want to make a huge batch of.

I always start by cooking some bacon! What better way to kick off those hearty flavors? I fry it up in my Dutch oven (or any large, oven-safe pot I have) until it’s perfectly crispy. Once it’s done, I take it out and set it aside. Now, it’s time to preheat the oven to 300°F, letting it warm up while I keep working on the coddle.

Next up, I brown the sausages. I don’t worry if they’re not fully cooked through, just getting a nice brown color on them is good enough because they’ve got plenty of cooking ahead. I remove them and set them aside with the bacon.

Now, I toss in some onions and garlic, letting them sauté for a few minutes until they’re just starting to soften.

Then comes the fun part! Layering the coddle! I place the meats back into the pot, cutting the sausages in half, and then add them on top of the onions and garlic. I like to toss in a few bay leaves, some fresh thyme, and parsley at this stage. After that, I layer the potatoes on top and give them another good sprinkling of fresh herbs. With everything in place, I pour in the chicken broth and cover the pot.

Now it’s time to let the oven take over. I pop the lid on my Dutch oven and stick it into the preheated oven for two hours. While it’s cooking, you can check out my collections of the best potato recipes and best sausage recipes.

The magic is happening slowly but surely. After some time the aromas will start greeting you in every room of your house. I bet you will be tempted to peak into that steaming hot pot of your coddle. Just be patient… Open that bottle of Guinsess stout and chill out!

Slow Cooker method

For the Slow Cooker method, I start by frying up the bacon in a skillet, then brown the sausages in the same pan. Once those are done, I sauté the onions and garlic.

In the slow cooker, I layer the onion and garlic mixture on the bottom, followed by the meats, bay leaves, and some herbs. I top it off with the potatoes and more fresh herbs.

Finally, I pour in the chicken broth, cover, and cook on high for 2-3 hours or on low for 4-6 hours. The slow cooker does the rest, turning it into a warm, hearty meal.

Instant Pot method

I set the Instant Pot to SAUTÉ mode and start by frying the bacon until it’s crispy, then remove it. Next, I brown the sausages in the same pot, then set those aside as well.

I toss in the onions and garlic, letting them sauté for a few minutes until they’re fragrant.

After that, I add the meats back in, followed by the bay leaves and some fresh herbs. I layer the potatoes on top with more herbs and pour in the chicken broth.

I close and lock the lid, set the Instant Pot to MANUAL mode, and set the timer for 20 minutes.

Once it’s done cooking, I use the quick release method to relieve the pressure, and it’s ready to serve!

How to make it keto friendly?

Easy!! I just swap out the potatoes with turnips. Even though it’s tempting to use cauliflower, it cooks too quickly for this dish, so turnips work much better.

How does that hearty pot look? Mmm, now that’s what I call comfort food! Whichever method you choose, once it’s ready all you have to do is ladle big scoops into a big bowl. Please don’t forget some chunky crusty bread, like my no-knead bread, to mop up this coddle from Dublin… YOUR VERY OWN DUBLIN CODDLE!!

Stay tuned for more amazing and authentic recipes from all over the world. Be sure to subscribe to GypsyPlate, and Happy Saint Patty’s day!!!

Dublin Coddle, in my Gypsy Bowl… enjoy!

If you love comfort food, try these other hearty recipes!
Welsh Rarebit
Grillades & Grits
Loaded Cauliflower Soup
Jagerschnitzel
Creamy Lemon Chicken
Crock Pot Islander Pork
Swedish Meatballs
Greek Bean Soup (Fasolada)
Johnny Marzetti

Dublin Coddle

Yield: 8 servings

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes

Looking for some authentic Irish fare for your St. Patrick's day feast? Look no further than this hearty and cozy Dublin coddle. Loaded with rich and satisfying flavors, this is what you call comfort food!

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Ingredients

• 10 bacon slices, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 2 lbs pork sausage links
• 3 lbs potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 2 onions, cut into rings
• 5 cloves garlic, cut into large slices
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 bay leaves
• 10 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

Oven Method

1. Cook bacon in large dutch oven (or other oven safe pot) over medium high heat. When crispy, remove from pot and place on paper towel covered plate. Start preheating oven to 300°F.
2. Add sausages to pot and brown each side. Remove, cut in half and set aside.
3. Remove excess fat from pan, leaving about 1/8 inch. Add onion and garlic to pot. Sauté 2-3 minutes.
4. Place bacon and sausage atop onions and garlic and top with bay leaves and fresh thyme and chopped parsley.
5. Place potatoes on top of meats. Add chicken broth and top everything with more thyme and parsley.
6. Cover pot and put in preheated oven. Bake for 2 hours.

Slow Cooker Method

1. In a skillet, fry bacon until crisp. Remove to paper towel lined plate.
2. Add sausages and brown up on all sides. Remove and cut in half.
3. Remove excess fat from pan, leaving about 1/8 inch. Add onion and garlic to pot. Sauté 2-3 minutes.
4. Add onion garlic mixture, followed by meats, bay leaves and some of the herbs, potatoes and remaining herbs. Pour in chicken broth.
5. Cover and cook on high for 2-3 hours or low for 4-6 hours.

Instant Pot Method

1. Set Instant Pot to SAUTE mode. Add in bacon and fry until crisp. remove to paper towel lined plate.
2. Add sausages and brown up on all sides. Remove and cut in half.
3. Remove excess fat from Instant Pot, leaving about 1/8 inch. Add onion and garlic to pot. Sauté 2-3 minutes.
4. Add onion garlic mixture, followed by meats, bay leaves and some of the herbs, potatoes and remaining herbs. Pour in chicken broth.
5. Close and lock the lid. Set Instant Pot to MANUAL mode and set timer to 20 minutes.
6. Once time is complete, use quick release method to relieve pressure.
   

Notes

1. If you have access to traditional bangers, they are ideal. If not, use other pork sausage such as bratwursts.
2. For a lighter version, replace bacon with turkey bacon and sausages with turkey or chicken sausage.
3. To make it keto, just replace potatoes with turnips.
4. Leftover: Like any other soup or stew it gets better and better with time. It’s great as a leftover, refrigerate for 3-4 days.
   
   I don't recommend freezing, as the quality of the potatoes degrades too much.

Nutrition Information

Yield 8 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 610Total Fat 36gSaturated Fat 12gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 22gCholesterol 113mgSodium 1414mgCarbohydrates 41gFiber 4gSugar 5gProtein 31g

Nutrition information calculated by Nutritionix.

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Welcome to GypsyPlate! I'm Alpana, former wordwide tour manager and professional caterer, now full time blogger. I love exploring cuisines from around the world, and my recipes have been featured on sites such as MSN, Parade, Brit + Co, CNET and AOL. You can explore my entire collection of sortable recipes in my Recipe Index or learn more about me here.