Guinness Irish Beef Stew

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, I decided to ditch the classic corned beef and cabbage route (incidentally is not even an Irish dish) and go for a hearty bowl of beef stew with an Irish twist. While researching the history of Irish stew, I came across this article from History.com:

The first St. Patrick’s Day parade took place not in Dublin but in New York City, in 1762. Over the next 100 years, Irish immigration to the United States exploded. The new wave of immigrants brought their own food traditions, including soda bread and Irish stew. Pork was the preferred meat, since it was cheap in Ireland and ubiquitous on the dinner table. The favored cut was Irish bacon, a lean, smoked pork loin similar to Canadian bacon. But in the United States, pork was prohibitively expensive for most newly arrived Irish families, so they began cooking beef—the staple meat in the American diet—instead.

I hope you all have a great day celebrating this fun Irish-American holiday, even if it has morphed into something completely unrelated to the origin. It's still fun to wear green, eat great food, and enjoy a lively celebration of Irish culture with family and friends. 

INGREDIENTS: 

2 T. vegetable oil

4 T. cornstarch

1 Lb. beef stew meat 

¼ teaspoon each salt and black pepper

1 yellow onions, minced

1 T. tomato paste

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 cups beef stock

1 12 oz. bottle of Guinness draught, reserving a generous splash for serving. 

2 T. dark brown sugar

4-5 sprigs of thyme, minced

2 T. fresh parsley, minced

4 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces

DIRECTIONS:

1. Remove the upper oven rack, leaving the lower-middle rack in position for your pot of stew.  Preheat to 325 degrees F.

2. Mix cornstarch, salt and pepper in a large plastic bag. Add beef and shake until coated.

3. Heat the oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the beef and brown for 5-10 minutes. Remove the beef to a plate and set aside.  Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until well browned, 5-7 minutes. Now add the tomato paste and garlic and cook for 2 and additional 2 minutes.

4.  Whisk in the beef broth, ¾ cup of the Guinness, brown sugar and thyme, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Bring to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Add the beef back to the pot and return to a simmer.

5. Transfer the pot to the oven and cook, uncovered, for 90 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking.

6. Add the potatoes and carrots, give a good stir and continue cooking until the beef and vegetables are tender, about 1 hour, stirring halfway through cooking. Remove the pot from the oven and stir in the remaining splash of Guinness. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish each bowl with fresh chopped parsley and a crusty slice of bread or a German pretzel with mustard and serve.