Imagine the rocky cliffs and beautiful green hills of Dingle, a city in County Kerry, Ireland. Under gray skies, sheep and cows calmly graze in emerald pastures bordered by trees and shrubbery. This peaceful countryside is the home of dingle pie, a hearty hot water crust pastry-topped dish filled with flavorful lamb and root vegetables.
If you're looking for even more savory pie recipes, you'll love this Irish ham and cabbage pie and this corned beef pie.
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Ingredients
Wondering what ingredients you need to make Irish dingle pie? Let's talk about the key ingredients in this delicious Irish pie.
- Lamb: Use leftover roasted lamb or browned minced lamb.
- Root Veggies: I use a combination of carrots, parsnips, onion, and potatoes.
- Seasonings: Fresh thyme and parsley, Worcestershire sauce, and salt and pepper add a good flavor to the filling.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
- Pastry: Try shortcrust pastry, puff pastry, or the cheese pastry from this cheese and ham pie.
- Traditional Pasty Shape: Use hot water crust or shortcrust pastry, and use mutton fat in the pastry instead of butter. Roll out the pastry in circles, and place the raw filling on top. Brush the edges of the pastry disc with beaten egg, then top with another disc of pastry. Press the edges to seal and roll up the edges, then poke a couple vent holes in the top. Bake according to the recipe instructions.
How to Make
Gather the ingredients for the dingle pie.
Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Chop the onions and add them to the pot, sautéing them until golden and soft.
Add the sliced carrots and finely diced parsnips and cook for a minute.
Stir in the flour and cook for another minute.
Pour in the lamb drippings and beef broth, then let it simmer while you peel and dice the potatoes.
Add the peeled and diced potatoes, cubed lamb, chopped herbs, salt, and pepper to the pot. Mix well and simmer for 30 minutes, then taste and adjust seasonings as desired.
Cook for another 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes are fork tender and the liquid has thickened from the potato starch.
Spoon the filling into a 6-cup enamel dish and let it cool while you make the hot water crust pastry. Roll out the pastry on a floured surface, then top the filling with the pastry and brush with beaten egg.
Bake at 400 F for 40-45 minutes, until the pastry is a rich golden brown. Let it cool for 45 minutes to 1 hour on a wire rack to allow the filling to set, then serve warm.
Are you curious to try a slice of Ireland? Even if you can't travel there for vacation, you can enjoy this delicious Irish recipe at home as you dream of Ireland.
Recipe FAQs
It's a rustic lamb dish from the Dingle Peninsula, a beautiful sheep-raising area of Ireland. It was originally made with mutton, and is often made in round individual hand pies. Farmers, shepherds, and fishermen ate these tasty morsels for lunch, while fairgoers enjoyed eating them at celebrations.
Neither the lamb filling nor the hot water crust pastry are gluten free. You can thicken the stew with cornstarch or other gluten-free thickener, and you can use gluten free all-purpose flour for the pastry. The filling is basically a lamb stew, which would be delicious without the pastry.
Serve
- Colcannon: A classic Irish dish made with mashed potatoes, cabbage or kale, butter, cream, and sometimes bacon.
- Roasted Vegetables: Roasted root vegetables such as carrots, parsnips, and turnips make a great side dish.
- Irish Brown Bread or Soda Bread: A hearty bread made with flour, buttermilk, baking soda, and salt.
- Boiled Potatoes: Boiled potatoes with a little bit of butter and salt are a classic Irish side dish.
- Non-Alcoholic Irish Coffee: This family-friendly drink would be a great way to finish a meal of dingle pie.
Store
- Make Ahead: Make the filling 3-5 days in advance and refrigerate until ready to use, or freeze for up to 3 months. Make fresh pastry and bake it on the day you want to serve it.
- Leftovers: It can keep for up to 7 days in the fridge. Just make sure it's tightly covered with plastic wrap or aluminum foil.
- Freezing: I recommend freezing the filling by itself and baking it with the pastry once it's defrosted. Store the cooled filling in an airtight container or zip-top freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight or in the microwave, then top with fresh pastry and bake.
Expert Tips
- Taste the filling as it cooks and adjust the seasonings as desired.
- Pressed for time? Make the filling ahead and refrigerate until you're ready to bake. You can even freeze the filling in a zip-top freezer bag.
- Don't use store-bought pastry. Hot water crust is ridiculously easy to make, and its flavor and texture can't be substituted.
- Use the hot water crust pastry while it's still warm. Keep it in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water to keep it hot.
- Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 3-5 days.
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Recipe
How to Make Irish Dingle Pie
Ingredients
For the Lamb Filling
- 2 ½ cups yellow onion, chopped
- 2 cups carrot, sliced
- 1 ⅔ cups parsnip, finely diced
- 2 cups roasted lamb leg or mutton, cubed
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 cups russet potatoes, peeled and diced
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups beef stock
- ½ cup lamb drippings or beef stock
- 2 tablespoons fresh curly parsley, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped
- 1 ½ teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the Hot Water Pastry
- ½ cup water
- scant ½ cup lard
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg, beaten (for glazing)
Instructions
Making the Filling
- Finely chop the onions, carrots, and parsnips and cube the roasted lamb.
- Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat, then saute the onions until soft. Add the carrots and parsnips and saute for a couple minutes longer.
- Stir in the flour and cook for a minute or two, then pour in the lamb drippings and beef stock and stir to combine.
- Let the mixture simmer while you peel and cube the potatoes, then add them and the cubed lamb to the mixture.
- Mince the fresh parsley and chop the thyme leaves. Season the lamb filling with the fresh herbs, Worcestershire sauce, and freshly ground black pepper.
- Let the filling simmer over low heat for 20-30 minutes to allow the flavors to blend and the potatoes to cook until fork tender.
- Spoon the cooked filling into a 6-cup (1.5 liter) enamel dish and set aside to cool slightly as you make the pastry.
Making the Hot Water Pastry
- Heat the water and lard in a small saucepan until the water is just boiling and the lard has melted.
- While the water is heating, sift the flour and salt into a medium mixing bowl.
- Once the water is boiling, immediately pour it into the flour mixture and stir until thoroughly combined.
- Turn the dough onto a clean work surface and knead briefly until smooth. Allow the pastry to cool for a minute or two before rolling out, but don't let it get completely cold, or it will not be workable.
- Brush the rim of the dish with beaten egg, then roll out the pastry until it's large enough to cover the dish. Lay the pastry lid on top, press the edges to seal, and trim off the excess pastry.
- Brush the whole pie with beaten egg and decorate with the leftover pastry. Cut several large vent holes in the top.
Baking the Pie
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Bake at 400°F for about 35 minutes, until the pastry is a rich golden brown. Check it occasionally as it bakes, since the pastry may puff up in places. If it does, open up one of the vent holes with the tip of a knife to release the steam buildup.
- Allow it to cool on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes (preferably 45-60 minutes) before serving to allow the filling to set.
Notes
- Only use russet potatoes. Other types aren't as starchy, and they won't thicken the stew as much.
- Adjust the seasonings to taste.
- Make the filling ahead of time, then top with pastry and bake when you're ready to serve. The filling can be refrigerated for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
- Don't use store-bought pastry. Hot water crust is ridiculously easy to make, and its flavor and texture can't be substituted.
- Use the hot water crust when it's warm. Keep it in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water to keep it hot.
Nutrition
Serving sizes and nutritional information are only an estimate and may vary from your results.
Oonagh
This was a lovely pie Emma, but I am a bit confused as the Dingle pies of my childhood on the west coast of Kerry are quite different and served with lamb soup as Mary Flanagan mentioned. They are cooked with raw lamb, which is diced very small and mixed with diced potato, swede, celery, carrot, onion, parsley and raw egg to bind. No flour as the lamb doesn’t need it. The pies are baked individually, about saucer size and take about an hour. The family craves them and they freeze beautifully!
Emma
That's really interesting, Oonagh! I actually based my recipe on a recipe from a Paul Hollywood cookbook that I own, so that's why my recipe might be a little different. Thanks so much for sharing the authentic way! I'd love to visit Kerry sometime to taste the real deal dingle pie. 🙂
Peter
It was absolutely delicious, a simple recipe to follow using left over veg and meat.
Emma
So glad to hear that you enjoyed it, Peter!
Carol
This Dingle pie is a perfect way to use leftover lamb, and it was an ideal comfort food on a snowy, post-Christmas evening. Thank you so much for sharing it!
Emma
Thank you so much, Carol! I’m thrilled that toy enjoyed the dingle pie so much!
Dianne Suhrbier
Oh, my, goodness! This is the best recipe for leftover lamb! We will definitely make this a staple! Yumm!!
Emma
Thank you, Dianne! Dingle pie is definitely our family's favorite way to enjoy leftover lamb. ❤
Carol
Well ... what can i say other than DEEELICIOUS! Will DEFINITELY make it again.
Emma
Thank you so much, Carol!!! I'm thrilled that you enjoyed the dingle pie so much!! It's definitely a family favorite in our household.
Mary Flanagan
My mother was from near Dingle; but she used to make the Dingle pies as individual round pies and would heat them up to serve with lamb soup. I would love to be able to make the Dingle pies like she did. Can you give the instructions for doing this? I never know if you boil the lamb to make the soup for serving with the pie in it? Or, do you roast the leg of lamb for the stuffing and then make the soup with the bone after you cut off the meat for the stuffing?
Emma
That's very sweet to hear that your Mom would make dingle pie! You can absolutely make the dingle pies in individual dishes; large ramekins would be perfect.
As far as the lamb goes, there's multiple ways you could do it. I prefer to roast the lamb (I usually use a boneless shoulder roast), and then add the cooked lamb to the dingle pie filling. The roasted meat has a much better flavor than boiled meat.
If you want to boil a bone-in lamb roast, I'd suggest simmering it in a pot of water with vegetables, much like making lamb stock. (I've never done this, but feel free to try it!) After the meat is cooked, add it to the dingle pie filling.
Hope this helps, Mary! Happy cooking!
A Resident of Ontario
This pie looks, tastes and smells amazing!
Emma
Thank you! I'm so glad that you enjoyed the dingle pie. 😊
Grandma M.
I enjoyed the dingle lamb pie. The decorative pastry topped off the blend of the contents which gave a pleasing taste. Well done!
Love,
Grandma M.
Emma
Thanks so much, Grandma! I'm glad that you enjoyed the dingle pie!
kevina morrison
Loved the pie, used frozen puff pastry rather than make my own but it was delish!
Emma
I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for making my recipe. 🙂
Joan McCutchon
It is another way to serve lamb - a delicious way!
Grandma M.
Emma
Thank you, Grandma! We all enjoy dingle pie and lamb.
Beth
The warm flavors of this hearty pie are scrumptious and healthy. The hot water 💦 pastry complete this delicious 😋 pie.
Emma
Thanks, Beth! Dingle pie is delicious.
Connie Sue Gault
This dish has a wonderful flavor and texture. I highly recommend it, you will not regret making this pie.
Emma
Thank you, Connie! I'm really glad you enjoyed dingle pie!