Irish Beef Stew with Guinness

 

Each year I try a new dish to make for St. Patrick's Day.  This year I chose Irish Beef Stew with Guinness.  I was surprised there weren't potatoes in it!  I think if I made it again I would definitely add them, but I was sticking to the recipe.  It was still very good!  I served it with Irish Soda Bread and Guinness of course!  

 

The recipe came from The Guinness Recipe Sight.  Click on the link to find a TON of recipes that include Guinness.

 

 

It's really simple, just takes quite a bit of time to cook.  It cooks low in the oven for two hours!  On the stove top you brown the meat, add the onions, seasoning and all the other ingredients.  Put the lid on and cook in the oven.

 

 

Add salt and pepper at the end.  I just realized I forgot to add them!  It was still delicious!

 

We all had shamrock cookies with our names on them too!  Here's my place at the table.

We demolished the soda bread!

Here is the link to the Irish Soda Bread:

http://janiscooks.blogspot.com/2011/03/irish-soda-bread.html

Here is the link for the shamrock cookies:  

http://janiscooks.blogspot.com/2011/03/shamrock-cookies.html

Hope your St. Patrick's Day was fun and you tried something new!

Irish Beef Stew with Guinness

2 tbsp olive oil
3 bay leaves
2 lbs beef stew meat, cut into 1 1/2 inch to 2 inch cubes (with some fat)
1 large yellow onion, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch slices
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 tsp dried thyme, whole
1 tsp dried rosemary
2-3 tbsp all-purpose flour
3/4 cup beef stock
1/2 cup Guinness
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1/2 lb carrots, sliced
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat a 6-quart stove-top casserole and add the oil and the bay leaves. Cook the bay leaves for a moment and then add the meat.

Brown the meat on both sides on high heat. Add the sliced onion and cook for a few minutes until it is clear. Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic, thyme, rosemary and flour, and stir well until smooth.
Add the beef stock and stout; simmer, stirring, until the stew thickens a bit. Add the remaining ingredients and cover.

Place the pot in a 275 F oven for about 2 hours, stirring a couple of times. Check for salt and pepper before serving.

Serves 4-6