Coddle

I know that I missed this for St. Patrick’s Day. I know the tradition is usually corned beef and cabbage, but I was hungry for coddle, another dish of Irish origins. If I remember correctly, I was too busy going to the WNIT to make it then, even though it is cooked in a crockpot. I was first introduced to it when my friend David, Cathy’s husband and Lori’s son, was kind enough to make it for our knitting group of friends. David’s Coddle was great, but I tweaked it a little bit to my own family’s likings. This traditional supper of sausages, bacon, and onions and potatoes is at least 2 centuries old and is more a city dish than a rural one. Its urban history surprises me. Coddle was a favorite of Jonathan Swift, the author of Gulliver’s Travels. It would be great served with soda bread. And thanks, David, for expanding my repertoire. :-)

1 lb. bacon, fried and crumbled

1 13 ounce Eckrich or similar brand beef sausage, sliced and browned

2 onions, cut into ½ pieces and browned in the bacon fat

Remove these three ingredients from the fat and place in a crockpot.

8 potatoes, cut in wedges

½ pound baby carrots

1 Tbsp. minced garlic (I used the kind that you keep in the refrigerator.)

1/3 teaspoon pepper

2 cubes beef bouillon

2 cubes chicken bouillon

2 cups water

¼ cup cider vinegar

1/3 cup brown sugar

3 tablespoons, fresh parsley, chopped

Add these remaining ingredients and cook in the crockpot 10 hours on low.

Serve in bowls.