Irish Stew from Ballymaloe

Ingredients:

• 1-1.5 kg of lamb chops, at least 2.5 cm thick
• 8 potato tubers
• 5 medium-sized carrots or 12 small ones
• 5 medium-sized onions or 12 small ones
• 4 stalks of celery
• 3 – 3 and 3/4 cups broth (lamb, if possible) or water
• 1 sprig of fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon white roux, optional (see recipe below)
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon chopped fresh chives, for garnish

White Sauce Roux:

• 110 g butter
• 1 level cup of wheat flour

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
   
   Cut the chops in half and trim off any excess fat. Rinse the fat in a heavy skillet over low heat (discard any remaining fat).
   
   Peel the onion and carrot (scrape or peel thinly). If they're young, you can leave some of the greens on. Chop the carrots into large pieces, or, if they're fairly young, leave them whole. If the onion is large, chop it into small pieces; if it's small, leave it whole. Chop the celery coarsely as well.
2. In a frying pan, mix the meat with the hot fat and fry until lightly browned. Transfer the meat to a ceramic pot, then quickly fry the onion, carrot, and celery in the fat. Layer the meat, onion, carrot, and celery, seasoning each layer with salt and pepper.
   
   Deglaze the pan with broth and pour it into the saucepan. Peel the potatoes and arrange them on top of the other layers so they cook while the stew cooks. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper. Add a sprig of thyme, bring the contents of the saucepan to a simmer on the stovetop, cover, and place in the center of the oven or simmer on the stovetop until the stew is done, 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes.
3. When the stew is ready, drain the remaining juices from the pan, let it cool, skim off any excess fat, and reheat it in a separate saucepan to make the gravy. If desired, thicken it slightly with a little white roux. Taste for sufficient seasoning, then add chopped parsley and chives and pour the sauce back into the stew. Bring to a simmer again and serve in the same ceramic pan or on a large ceramic platter.
   
   For the white roux sauce: Melt the butter over low heat and cook the flour for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Use as needed. The roux can be stored in a cool place and used as needed, or prepared immediately before use. It can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.