Irish Stew

1 lb breast of mutton, or 4 chops
3 medium-sized onions
2 lbs potatoes
pepper and salt
1 pt cold water
1 dessert spoonful finely chopped parsley

Wipe the meat. If using breast, cut into neat pieces, removing all skin and superfluous fat. (All fat is not removed, because the potatoes will absorb a certain amount). Peel and slice the onions into rings. Wash and peel the potatoes thinly. If small, leave whole, if large, cut in two. Slice one thinly. Put the sliced potatoes in the bottom of the stew-pan, then put in the meat and onions in layers, well seasoned with pepper and salt. Pour in the cold water, and arrange the whole potatoes on top. Put on the lid. Bring to simmering point and skim. Allow to stew gently until the meat is tender--about 2 hours.

Shake the pan occasionally to ensure that the contents are not sticking to the bottom. Remove the lid only when necessary. Add a little extra boiling water, if needed, but take care not to make the stew watery. When the stew is cooked, serve on a hot dish, with the potatoes around and the meat and onions in the center. Pour a little gravy over and serve the remainder in a hot sauce-boat. Sprinkle the potatoes with parsley.

[Newspaper clipping. This one was not mounted on a card, so I glued it to a card myself. On the back was an ad for photo-finishing dated 1987. So that's how old the recipe is.]