DUBLIN CODDLE: HOT POTATO, BACON, ONION, AND IRISH SAUSAGE

This classic dinner dish of potatoes, onions, bacon, and sausages has been around since the early 1700s. This dish appears to be more of a city dish than a country one: Jonathan Swift, the author of Gulliver’s Travels and the dean of Dublin’s Christ Church Cathedral, loved it. Coddle food is still well-known in Dublin as a dish that can be made in advance and kept warm in a slow oven while the diners must leave the house for a while. This makes it a great option for people with hectic schedules! The dish’s name most likely comes from the earlier word caudle, which is a French verb that means “to gently boil, parboil, or stew.” Eggs that have been gently cooked are still referred to as “Coddled Eggs” using the more modern form of the verb “coddle.” Note that the sausages used should be of the highest caliber, made entirely of pig! If you were to cook this dish in a crock pot, you would need to reduce the liquid by approximately half. Accompany with Irish soda bread and Guinness. Comfort food at its finest, this one-pot meal’s simplicity and ease of preparation belie its incredible flavor and taste! Sláinte.

DIRECTIONS

1. Cut the potatoes into peels. Leave little ones intact and cut larger ones into three or four pieces. Chop the parsley finely. Place the bouillon cube in boiling water to dissolve it.
2. Allow the bacon and sausages to brown slightly on the grill or under the broiler. Take caution not to dehydrate them! On paper towels, drain for a little while. Slice the sausage bacon into 1-inch pieces after it has been drained. Dice the sausages into large chunks as well, if you choose. Some would rather keep them whole.
3. Turn the oven on to 300°F or 150°C. Layer the ingredients: potatoes, bacon, sausages or sausage chunks, onions, and sausages in a big, flameproof pot with a tight-fitting lid. Add a generous amount of freshly ground pepper and chopped fresh parsley to each layer. Continue until all of the components have been used. Transfer the bouillon blend onto the surface. Bring the liquid to a boil over the burner. Reduce the heat to a minimum right away and cover the pot. To assist in sealing the pot cover, you might also want to place a sheet of foil underneath.
4. For at least three hours, cook the covered saucepan in the oven. (It won’t harm it to have four or five hours.) Check the pot after two hours and add extra water if needed. At all times, there should be approximately one inch of liquid at the bottom of the pot.
5. In order to serve. This dish pairs quite nicely with Guinness, either bottled or on draft (in fact, a little added to the pot at the end of the procedure wouldn’t hurt anything). Mopping up the gravy with fresh soda bread is another delicious side dish!

COMPOSITION

Two kg of potatoes

Two large onions, thinly sliced after peeling.

450 g of premium pork sausages

450 g of thickly sliced bacon

500 milliliters of water

If ham stock isn’t available, use one beef or one chicken stock cube.

Three to four tablespoons of freshly chopped parsley and salt (to season)

pepper, coarsely ground (to season)