Irish Beef Stew

There is nothing like going into a liquor store when you are about to have a baby any day. People will look at you funny. Even if you are with your husband. Even if you don't carry a thing.  

Along with our fudgy Irish Cream Brownies we made Irish Beef Stew for dinner as our tribute to all things Irish in honor of St. Patrick's Day.  

Mr. J wanted to be authentic so out we went to get some Guinness. Now I am not drinking but even if I did I would never ever want a full bottle of Guinness. Our goal was simple, find one bottle of Guinness for the stew and no more. I don't know about where you live but around Connecticut many of the liquor stores sell single bottle of beer. You can buy one or mix and match your own four or six pack. The key is finding the beer you want. Well luck was on our side because the first stop had one bottle of Guinness Original Stout waiting for us. 

A dinner like this takes some time and effort. Lots of chopping and time to simmer.  In the end though it is completely worth the wait.  The stew was full of rich taste and was enough to feed an army. We had some bread for dipping as well. Although I will never understand the infatuation with drinking Guinness, I will say those Irish know a thing or two about their beef stew.

Irish Beef Stew

by Emily Morris

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour and 45 minutes

Keywords: soup/stew St. Patrick's Day

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Ingredients (serves 6-8)

• 1 1/4 pounds well-marbled chuck beef stew meat, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
• 3 teaspoons of salt (more to taste)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 6 large garlic cloves, minced
• 4 cups beef stock or broth
• 1 cup of Guinness extra stout
• 1 cup of hearty red wine
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 5 cups)
• 1 large onion, chopped (1 1/2 to 2 cups)
• 2 cups 1/2-inch pieces peeled carrots (3 to 4 carrots)
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

Sprinkle about a teaspoon of salt over the beef pieces. Heat the olive oil in a large (6 to 8 quart), thick-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Pat dry the beef with paper towels and working in batches, add the beef and cook, without stirring, until nicely browned on one side, then use tongs to turn the pieces over and brown on another side.

Add garlic to the pot with the beef and sauté 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add the beef stock, water, Guinness, red wine, tomato paste, sugar, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, and bay leaves. Stir to combine. Bring mixture to a simmer and then reduce heat to the lowest setting, then cover and cook at a bare simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

While the pot of meat and stock is simmering, melt the butter in another pot over medium heat. Add the onions and carrots. Sauté the onions and carrots until the onions are golden, about 15 minutes. Set aside until the beef stew in step 2 has simmered for one hour.

Add the onions, carrots, and the potatoes to the beef stew. Add black pepper and salt to taste. Simmer uncovered until vegetables and beef are very tender, about 40 minutes. 

Before serving discard the bay leaves and tilt pan and spoon off any excess fat. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

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