Coddle is an Irish dish which is often made to use up leftovers, and therefore without a specific recipe. However, it most commonly consists of layers of roughly sliced sausages and rashers with chunky potatoes, sliced onion, salt, pepper, and herbs . Traditionally, it can also include barley.
Coddle is particularly associated with the capital of Ireland, Dublin. It was reputedly a favourite dish of the writers Seán O'Casey and Jonathan Swift, and it appears in several references to Dublin, including the works of James Joyce.
The dish is braised in the stock produced by boiling the pieces of bacon and sausages. The dish is cooked in a pot with a well-fitting lid in order to steam the ingredients left uncovered by the broth. Sometimes raw sliced potato is added, but traditionally it was eaten with bread. The only seasonings are usually salt, pepper, and occasionally parsley. Coddle could be considered Irish comfort food, and it is inexpensive, easy to prepare and quick to cook. It is often eaten in the winter months. In the days when Catholics were not allowed to eat meat on Fridays, this meal was often eaten on Thursdays, and it allowed a family to use up any remaining sausages or rashers.