Dublin Coddle

A gentle, layered stew of sausages, bacon, potatoes and onions simmered together, a beloved Dublin working-class classic.

Coddle is strongly associated with Dublin's inner-city working-class communities, where it was traditionally made on Thursday nights using leftover sausages and bacon from earlier in the week, ready to feed the family before the weekend. The name likely comes from "coddling," meaning to cook gently in liquid just below a boil. It has notable literary connections — both James Joyce and Sean O'Casey referenced it in their work, and it was reportedly one of Dublin poet Brendan Behan's favorite dishes.

Coddle is deliberately pale and gently simmered rather than browned — the sausages and bacon go into the pot largely unseared, which is what distinguishes it visually and texturally from a browned stew. It should be soupy rather than thick.