Most popular in Ireland’s capital city, Dublin, this recipe is not for the faint-hearted and has been appropriately described by some as a heart attack in a bowl.
It’s rarely found outside of Dublin city but is still a popular meal served in some traditional Irish pubs around Dublin. To ‘coddle’ means to cook slowly or parboil and this dish of ham, sausages, onions and potatoes dates back to the 18th century.
Ingredients for making Dublin Coddle
- 1 ½ pint of water
- 8 thick slices of ham cut into chunks
- 8 pork sausages cut into thick slices
- 2 large onions, peeled and sliced
- 1 ½ lbs potatoes peeled and sliced
- Salt and pepper
- 2 heaped tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
- Fresh chopped parsley for garnish
Method for cooking Dublin Coddle
Bring the water to the boil in a saucepan, then add the ham and sausages and cook for 5 minutes. Drain well, reserving the cooking liquid. Set oven to 300 degrees. Place the ham and sausages and chopped parsley and pour over just enough cooking liquid to cover. Cover with a piece of buttered greaseproof paper, put on the lid and cook for 1 to 1 ½ hour or until the liquid is greatly reduced and the vegetables cooked but not mushy.
Serve with the chopped parsley to garnish and hot buttered soda bread on a side plate. This dish serves 4-6 people.
You also find adding Guinness to the Coddle will give it that extra kick!
Last updated March 2, 2020.
