Irish Beef Stew

Comforting and full of flavour, it’s perfect to serve a crowd! The flavour is amped up by the addition of a favourite dark beer. The stew is slow-cooked on the stove-top to produce hearty, deep flavours. Serve with a side of fresh bread and enjoy!

Ingredients

2 tbsp Olive oil

2.5 lbs stewing beef, cut into bite-sized pieces

Coarse salt and fresh ground pepper for the beef

1 large yellow Onion, chopped

2 large celery stalks, sliced into half-inch pieces

3 large Carrots, peeled and sliced diagonally half-inch pieces

4 cloves garlic, minced

¼ cup Flour

1x 12oz bottle Guiness / dark beer

3 tbsp Tomato paste

4 cups beef stock

1 ½ lbs golden creamer potatoes (cut in half)

1x bay leaf

1 tsp dried thyme

salt and pepper

Servings: 6-8 people

Preparation: 20 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 50 minutes

Kitchen Equipment: large pot

Method

Season beef generously with coarse salt and ground pepper.
In a large, heavy pot, add 2 tbsp olive oil and turn to medium-high heat. When the pot is hot, add the beef pieces and cook, turning often until browned on all sides, about 5-7 minutes. **Do this in 2 batches to make sure the beef has enough room in the pot to brown.**
Remove beef from the pot with a slotted spoon to a bowl and set aside.
Add the onion, celery and carrots to the pot and saute for 5 minutes.
Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute.
Sprinkle with the flour and cook, stirring for 1-2 minutes.
Gradually pour in the beer and mix well to ensure the flour dissolves and get those crispy bits off the bottom of the pan. Then add in the tomato paste and stir to combine.
Stir in beef stock, potatoes, cooked beef (along with any of its juices), dried thyme and cook until the stew reaches a simmer.
Cover the pot and simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally for 2 hours until the beef is tender.
Remove the bay leaf and serve garnished with parsley.