Dublin Coddle

Our map has no Irish dinner yet, and I would rather start with a dish Dubliners actually eat at home than a pub item invented for tourists. Coddle is also a lesson in restraint: nothing is browned in the traditional version, and I want to find out whether that pale, gentle result is as good as its fans say, or whether a quick sear on the sausages (as many modern Irish cooks do) is worth the departure. Once the pot goes on there is nothing to do for an hour; the active work is 15 minutes of slicing. Sausages and potatoes are squarely in my son's comfort zone, so this is a low-risk way to put a new country on the table.

• Irish-style pork sausages: Plain, finely textured pork sausages with a bread-crumb binder (bangers). Irish import brands turn up at Irish shops and some supermarkets; a mild fresh pork sausage or British-style banger is the right substitute. Avoid Italian sausage, whose fennel and chile change the dish.
• Rashers (back bacon): Irish bacon is cut from the loin and is leaner and meatier than American streaky bacon. Thick-cut American bacon works and adds more smoke; Canadian bacon is closer in texture but milder. Use whichever you can get.
• Potatoes: Floury potatoes such as russets break down into the broth and thicken it slightly, which is what you want here.
• Brown soda bread: Available at many bakeries and Whole Foods. Water is the traditional cooking liquid; low-sodium chicken stock gives a fuller broth and is a common modern choice.

1. Peel the potatoes and slice them about 1/2-inch thick. Slice the onions into thick rounds. Peel and slice the carrots into coins if using.
2. Cut the bacon into 1-inch pieces. Leave the sausages whole, or cut each in half if they are long.
3. Chop a generous handful of parsley; this is more than a garnish in coddle.
4. If you want the oven method, heat it to 325°F; otherwise the pot goes on the stovetop.

1. Optional browning: in a skillet over medium-high heat, cook the bacon pieces 3–4 minutes until they start to color, then move to a plate. Brown the sausages in the same pan for 2–3 minutes per side, just for color, and set aside. This is a modern touch; the strictly traditional method skips it and goes straight to layering.
2. In the Dutch oven, build the layers: half the onions, half the potatoes, half the bacon, all the sausages and carrots, then the remaining bacon, onions and potatoes on top. Season each layer lightly with salt and plenty of black pepper, and scatter about half the parsley between layers.
3. Pour in the stock; it should come about three-quarters of the way up the layers, not cover them. Add a knob of butter on top.
4. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then reduce to the lowest heat, cover tightly, and cook 60 minutes, or transfer to the 325°F oven for the same time. Do not stir; the point is for the top potatoes to steam and the bottom ones to soften into the broth.
5. Check at 45 minutes: the potatoes should be tender and the sausages cooked through (160°F). If the broth looks thin and you prefer it richer, uncover for the last 15 minutes. Taste the broth and add salt; bacon varies.
6. Rest 5 minutes off the heat before serving.

Spoon the coddle into deep bowls so everyone gets a sausage or two, bacon, a pile of potatoes and onions and a ladle of broth, and finish with the rest of the parsley. Put the soda bread, butter and mustard on the table. There is nothing hot or sharp in the pot, so my son's bowl is the same as ours. Coddle keeps for three days and is widely said to be better the second day, when the flavors have settled; reheat gently on the stove with a splash of water or stock.