Wild Firebrand

For St. Paddy’s Day, rather than corned beef and cabbage or shepherds/cottage pie (which we LOVE),for some reason we celebrate this day with Dublin Coddle — a one-pot cast iron dutch oven meal of sausage, bacon, potatoes, (and onions, but pearl ones that your dad can pick out of the pot….although, for his birthday, I omit the onions!).

And, then, even though it’s not traditional, we add mushrooms…because….mushrooms!

Also garlic and parsley (not pictured above because it was in the fridge), but anyway, gather your ingredients. I did NOT use all the bacon and all of the onions or the garlic salt shown in the photo, but I did use all of the rest of it – including a stout beer (any kind) and chicken broth.

Preheat the oven to 300 — make sure you move a rack down so the dutch oven will fit!

Using HALF — I said half — a package of bacon, cut it into squares before dumping it in the cast iron dutch oven on the stove top. Brown it, drain it and let it rest on paper towels to the side – beware of the pixies and brownies who steal bacon while you’re not looking! Then, use the bacon grease to brown the sausages — I have heard this is controversial, but we like it that way. You do You the way you wanna do.

Roughly chop the sausages, but at a slant and in 2-3 inch length chunks. Peel around the potatoes leaving half the skins. Brown the sausages, but not the potatoes. Also brown the garlic.

While the sausages and garlic are browning, chop some fresh parsley — or cheat and use the dried stuff — doesn’t matter, just make sure you use parsley. Roughly cut the mushrooms too.

Layer it all in the pot. Sausage, garlic, potatoes, bacon, mushrooms, onions, and parsley. Layers, layers, layers. Sausage, garlic, potatoes, bacon, mushrooms, onions, and parsley. Layers, layers, layers. And more layers.

Turn the stove off. Add the stout beer and the chicken broth until everything is covered in liquid. Put the lid on the pot and add a piece of foil to seal the pot.

Crumble the foil around the pot to really seal it.

Put it in an oven that’s 300 degrees and set a timer for 3-4 hours. MMmmhmmm. Leave it alone.

Take it out after 3 or 4 hours and serve it in a both with Beer Bread! And, then enjoy the luck of the Irish! Slainte!

Remember, wherever on Mother Earth, you roam — you are loved. May your troubles be less; your blessings be more; and nothing but happiness come through your door. Powerful blood runs through your veins and you are fierce warriors. Love YOU!!!