Dublin Coddle

The story

Coddle, cadal in Irish, is the one-pot supper most closely tied to Dublin. Pork sausages and rashers of back bacon are layered with thick pieces of potato and sliced onion, then braised under a tight lid in the broth made by boiling the meat, so the steam cooks whatever the liquid does not cover. Salt and pepper are usually the only seasoning, with parsley now and then. The name comes from the verb to coddle, to cook in water below the boil. IrishCentral dates the dish to the 1700s and repeats the Dublin story that it used up the week's sausages and bacon on Thursday, before the meatless Catholic Friday. Jonathan Swift and Seán O'Casey are said to have liked it, and James Joyce mentions it. Many Dubliners defend its pale look, and enthusiasts regard browning the sausages as a shortcut. The chef JP McMahon describes the traditional method as sausages and bacon stewed with onions and potatoes in a light broth, and notes that modern versions sometimes add barley and carrots. Serve coddle in wide bowls with soda bread or buttered white bread for the broth, and allow about two hours from start to table.