A Dublin Coddle Is the Ultimate in Comfort Food (2024)

A Dublin coddle is the beloved Irish take on a rich stew. The dish that we know today is clearly meat-heavy, a far cry from earlier versions that had just potatoes, vegetables, and pork scraps. Coddles can take many shapes because each cook can add whatever leftovers they have at hand, but in general, potatoes and other root vegetables, bacon, sausages, and onions make the base of this delicious preparation.

Traditional Irish Wheaten Bread (Brown Soda Bread) Recipe

Usually served with bread, the coddle meal is so filling that there is no need to make other dishes to accompany it—just fresh soda bread slices, perfect to soak up the juices. Sometimes made with Guinness beer to add a deep earthy flavor and rich texture, this version is made with beef stock (if you use wheat-free stock and sausages, the dish becomes a naturally gluten-free option).

What Does Coddle Mean?

Named from the French verb caudle, meaning to gently boil, this recipe was originally invented as a resourceful way of feeding many when food scarcity was common. A gentle boil can be obtained either on the stove top over a low heat or in the oven. While some coddle recipes do not traditionally call for browning the ingredients before simmering, the slight browning helps build flavor to make for a tasty finished coddle.

Stove Top Variation

For this recipe, we adapted it for the oven so that you can simply walk away with nothing on the stovetop, allowing the coddle ingredients to gently braise and simmer in the oven. However, if you rather not turn on the oven, you can cook the coddle in a covered Dutch oven over a low to medium-low heat for the same amount of time.

What's the Difference Between a Coddle and a Stew?

The primary difference is that a coddle is cooked in layers of vegetables, meat, and potatoes with just a small amount of liquid. A stew is much more like a thick soup with cubed meat, veggies, or both. Both are considered comfort foods and hearty one-pot meals.

Type of Sausage to Use in Coddle

Any good quality pork sausage will do for this recipe. If you can find an Irish or British pork sausage that would be ideal and most authentic, but any pork sausage links or coil from a butcher would be great. In a pinch, you can substitute savory pork breakfast sausages (but avoid any with a maple or sweet flavor profile).

Best Type of Potato to Use in Coddle

The starchy Irish potato that was traditionally used in this dish is most similar to the white potato. White potatoes are sturdy and won't break down even after long cooking times, retaining their shape in the finished dish.

If you don't mind the skin, you can scrub the potatoes and leave the skin on for a more rustic presentation. If you don't want to fuss with slicing the potatoes you can also dice them into 2 inch squares and layer.

Make Ahead

Coddle can be made ahead of time and then left in a slightly warmed oven until it's time to eat. Alternatively, you can make the coddle in advance, and once finished and reaches room temperature refrigerate it for up to 4 days. Simply reheat by adding a splash of stock over medium-low heat.

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"This made a delicious one-pot meal, and the leftovers were even tastier the next day.I used herb and garlic sausages, and they added a subtle garlic flavor. Check the pot occasionally during the last 30 minutes, and add more broth if necessary. I'm adding the dish to my list for next St. Paddy's Day" —Diana Rattray

A Dublin Coddle Is the Ultimate in Comfort Food (3)

A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

  • 2 medium onions, thinly sliced

  • 4 ounces bacon, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

  • 6 pork sausages, halved crosswise

  • 2 medium carrots, peeled and thinly sliced

  • 2 pounds white potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

  • Salt, to taste

  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

  • 2 cups beef stock, orchicken stock

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients. Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 425 F.

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  2. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat.Add the onions and cook until just translucent, about 4 minutes.

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  3. Add the bacon and stir to combine. Add the sausages, raise the heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring constantly, until the sausages and onions begin to turn golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat.

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  4. In a medium Dutch oven or other heavy-duty pot, add a layer of the onion-bacon-sausage mixture, followed by a layer of sliced carrots and then a layer of potatoes. Season with salt and pepper.

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  5. Repeat the layering once again, using all the ingredients and ending with a layer of potatoes. Season the potato layer with salt and pepper.

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  6. Carefully pour the stock over the layers.

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  7. Cover with a lid or a double layer of aluminum foil. Transfer to the oven and cook for 45 minutes. Take a peek to make sure the coddle isn't drying out. If necessary, top up with a little boiling water but don't flood the stew.

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  8. Lower the heat to 350 F and continue to bake until the mixture is bubbling and the potatoes are cooked through, about 30 minutes more. Remove from the oven and rest for 10 minutes before serving. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve with hefty slices of Irish soda bread and butter to soak up all the lovely juices in the dish.

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    Tips

    • If possible, use a mandoline to slice the vegetables. It makes slicing fast and easy and ensures all of the vegetables are uniform in thickness.
    • Use a good quality, flavorful broth, preferably low in salt, and be sure to taste the broth before adding additional salt.

    How to Store and Reheat Dublin Coddle

    • Refrigerate leftover Dublin coddle in an airtight container within 2 hours, and consume within 4 days.
    • Potatoes can become soggy when frozen and thawed, so freezing is not recommended.
    • To reheat Dublin coddle, transfer it to a saucepan and add a splash of broth or water. Cook over medium-low heat, gently stirring, until the coddle reaches 165 F.

    Traditional Slow Cooker Irish Lamb Stew

  • British Mains
  • Main Dishes
  • Stews
  • Pork Sausage Recipes
  • Vegetable Recipes
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
560Calories
27g Fat
57g Carbs
25g Protein

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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories560
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 27g34%
Saturated Fat 7g35%
Cholesterol 58mg19%
Sodium 1033mg45%
Total Carbohydrate 57g21%
Dietary Fiber 6g23%
Total Sugars 7g
Protein 25g
Vitamin C 25mg125%
Calcium 67mg5%
Iron 4mg20%
Potassium 1827mg39%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Recipe Tags:

  • Potato
  • entree
  • irish
  • winter
A Dublin Coddle Is the Ultimate in Comfort Food (2024)

FAQs

What is Dublin coddle made of? ›

Coddle (sometimes Dublin coddle; Irish: cadal) is an Irish dish which is often made to use up leftovers. It most commonly consists of layers of roughly sliced pork sausages and rashers (thinly sliced, somewhat-fatty back bacon) with chunky potatoes, sliced onion, salt, pepper, and herbs.

Why is it called coddle? ›

The word “Coddle” derives from the French term caudle which means to boil gently, parboil or stew. Apparently, coddle dates back to the first Irish famine in the late 1700s where anything to hand got thrown into the pot.

What is the difference between stew and coddle? ›

Coddle is considered a 'city man's stew' and is thought to have originated in Ringsend. Irish stew, on the other hand, is a bit chunkier, made with stewing beef or lamb, vegetables such as carrots, parsnips and onions, potatoes, and beef or lamb stock. Some add Guinness to the stock for extra flavour.

What color is a coddle? ›

If you've never had Dublin coddle before, it's somewhat like the Irish version of beef stew. It's bacon, pork sausages, onions, and potatoes, all long-stewed in a thick brown gravy.

What does coddle mean? ›

, cod·dled, cod·dling. to treat tenderly; nurse or tend indulgently; pamper: to coddle children when they're sick. Synonyms: spoil, humor, baby, indulge. to cook (eggs, fruit, etc.)

What is Ireland's signature food? ›

By the 21st century, much traditional Irish cuisine was being revived. Representative dishes include Irish stew, bacon and cabbage, boxty, brown bread (as it is referred to in the south) or soda bread (predominantly used in Ulster), coddle, and colcannon.

What does it mean to coddle a man? ›

To coddle someone means to treat them too kindly or protect them too much. [disapproval]

Who invented coddle? ›

It originates from the fair city of Dublin (no prizes for guessing that!). There are several tales as to the exact origin of this now iconic dish. One version goes that coddles first emerged during the famine of 1740-1741 when families would throw anything and everything in a large stew pot.

What does coddle mean food? ›

1. : to cook (something, such as eggs) in liquid slowly and gently just below the boiling point. coddled the eggs for the Caesar salad.

What is Irish stew called in Ireland? ›

Irish stew (Irish: Stobhach Gaelach) or Stobhach is a stew from Ireland that is traditionally made with root vegetables and lamb or mutton, but also commonly with beef. As in all traditional folk dishes, the exact recipe is not consistent from time to time or place to place.

What is the best meat for casseroles? ›

We suggest using chuck steak as it is well marbled and stays tender through long cooking. You could also use brisket, bone-in ribs or beef osso bucco. You may think you're doing your stew a favour by using a more expensive cut like rump or eye fillet, but these are too lean and will be dry and stringy.

What part of the cow is stew meat? ›

Go for the chuck

The most common beef used for stew is chuck steak, also known as gravy beef or braising steak. Beef chuck comes from the forequarter of the animal consisting of parts of the neck, shoulder blade and upper arm.

What is black coddle? ›

Black Coddle

If you were living in the tenements, you were cooking over the fire and the soot would come down and drop into the coddle.” But such was the poverty that the one-pot meal couldn't be chucked. “So the soot would normally be mixed in with it,” says fa*gan.

What are rashers in Ireland? ›

A bacon rasher is a thin slice of bacon, typically cut from a larger piece of cured bacon. The term “rasher” is commonly used in the UK and Ireland to refer to these slices of bacon.

Where in Ireland is coddle found most often? ›

Dublin Coddle is a traditional Irish dish that originated in Dublin, the capital city of Ireland. It is a hearty and warming stew-like dish that is typically made with pork sausages, bacon, onions, and potatoes.

What is Irish breakfast pudding made of? ›

Modern recipes consist of suet or fat, oatmeal or barley, breadcrumbs and in some cases pork and pork liver, filled into a natural or cellulose sausage casing.

What is an Irish staple ingredients? ›

The typical Irish diet included potatoes, wholemeal bread, porridge, vegetables and smaller amounts of meat, fish and eggs.

What is Irish latte made of? ›

Irish coffee has four main ingredients: coffee, Irish whiskey, sugar and cream. But there are many variations of this classic coffee drink, some of which include steamed milk.

What is Irish ice cream made of? ›

Instructions. In medium saucepan on medium-high heat, whisk together eggs yolks, sugar, milk, heavy cream, Irish cream and vanilla until combined. To ensure eggs are fully cooked, cook until mixture reaches just to a boil then quickly remove from heat and continuously stir. Mixture will have thickened.

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