The cheaper the meat, the more authentic and in my mind the better. Go for mutton or stewing beef, will plenty of fat and connective tissue.

Perl barley can be added for an extra thickness, only used in certain areas of Ireland.

1. Slice and parboil your potatoes.
2. Season the meat with salt and pepper, then seal in a frying pan at high temp [3 minutes each side, you want lovely brown bits for flavour on the surface of the meat and the pan].
3. Add the meat to the casserole dish
4. Quickly add the carrots and onion to the same frying pan for about 2 minutes to fry in the fat/oil from the meat, then add to the casserole dish.
5. the frying pan making sure to add all the lovely fat and flavoursome burnt bits to the casserole dish
6. Add the stock & herbs [parsley, thyme, rosemary, 1 bay leaf if desired], stir well to
7. Keep the slices of potato for the top layer, so they steam as the rest cooks. More of a traditional aspect. Also, make some of them very small cubes so they break down and thicken the sauce.
8. Cover and cook for 2-3 hours [slow cooking is the traditional method, you want the mean *falling* apart when touched by the fork.
9.Uncover, stir and cook for a further 1-2 hours, added more stock when necessary if looking a little dry,

This recipe is much better is you use mutton, and cheaper as well, also adding pearl barley gives it a lovely taste and texture.

Absolutely divine. Holy moly.
Highly recommended. So simple. The meat came out extremely tender.

We browned this for about 10 minutes so the potatoes looked the way they do in the photo.