Dublin Coddle

Some cold, chilly winter night would you like to cuddle up with this warm, hearty, rich, sumptuous Irish stew? This Dublin coddle is cozy beyond COZY!!

It’s made with rashers, aka bacon, and bangers, aka sausages, and layered with onions and potatoes (or turnips for a keto option). Then it’s slow cooked for hours, along with chicken broth in your oven at a low temperature (we also have slow cooker and Instant Pot directions below). The result is magic in your bowl! You won’t believe the end result, so delicious, made from some rustic and humble ingredients.

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 for Dublin Coddle

• 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 the 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.

First, the traditional oven method

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.

What better way to start creating hearty flavors than by cooking some bacon? Fry it up in your dutch oven (or other large, oven-safe pot) until crispy. Remove from pot and keep it aside. At this point, start preheating your oven to 300°F.

Now it’s time to brown up the sausages. Cook until they get nice brown color all over. They may not be fully cooked through. That’s fine, they have plenty of cooking yet to do. Remove and keep aside.

Next, add in onions and garlic and sauté a few minutes.

Now all that’s left is to layer your coddle. Add the meats (cutting sausages in half) atop your onions and garlic and toss bay leaves and some fresh thyme and parsley on top. Then add your potatoes and another good sprinkling of fresh herbs. Pour in your chicken broth and cover. Now your trusty oven takes over. Put the lid on your pot and stick it in your 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

First fry up your bacon in a skillet, remove and set aside. Then brown up sausages in the same pan and remove.

Then quickly sauté the onions and garlic.

In your slow cooker, add onion garlic mixture. Then layer on meats, bay leaves and some of the herbs, then potatoes and more fresh herbs.

Add in chicken broth, cover and cook 2-3 hours on high or 4-6 hours on low.

Instant Pot method

Set your Instant Pot to SAUTE and add in bacon. Fry until crisp and remove. Then add in sausages and brown up. Remove and set aside.

Toss in onions and garlic and sauté for a few minutes.

Add back in the meats, followed by bay leaves and some of the fresh herbs. Top with potatoes and more herbs. Then pour in chicken broth.

Close and lock the lid. Set Instant Pot to MANUAL and set timer to 20 minutes.

Once finished, use quick release method to relieve the pressure.

How to make Dublin Coddle keto friendly?

Just replace the potatoes with turnips. Though it may be tempting to try cauliflower, it really cooks too quickly for this particular dish.

Storing Leftovers

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.

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