It’s almost St. Patrick’s Day and what’s a better way to celebrate than with a big bowl of Irish Beef Stew? Of course, I made this with a delicious stout beer!
I know it sounds crazy but the end of Daylight Savings time is one of my favorite times of the year! I’m a sucker for sunshine and longer days make me super happy! I love my long walks in the evening and these longer days are perfect for just that! It’s also good for my dog Tommy. It’s sad but he is afraid of the dark, so I’m sure that he will appreciate the extended hours of sunshine as well! It’s good all around and even better, it signals the beginning of Spring! (Which is 3/20/2018, BTW).
So I guess for all my friends back East, you have had a crazy week of horrible weather. One big storm after another. I was following all the updates on Facebook and I was amazed by all the flooding, downed trees, feet of snow and all the power outages. My brother and his family were basically without power for 10 days. I’m happy that they had a generator but I do feel bad for all the folks who didn’t. I seriously can’t imagine being without power for 10 days. It must be maddening! Hopefully, all you folks are through with all your bad winter weather! Onto, brighter days!
So with Spring in the air, so is St. Patrick’s Day! Yeah, a fun holiday where eating an drinking is the main focus all the while you can be in “fashion” and wear green colored clothes and don silly shamrock replicas all day! Sounds like a great day to me!
Since making an Irish meal during St. Patrick’s day is something that you just have to do then why not make a big pot of Irish Beef Stew? This stew can be made the day before or in the morning. It takes a few hours on a slow simmer to make it perfect which is great because you will need a full belly for the consumption of the beer that you may be drinking! Haha! Anyway, I love my version as I add the strange root vegetable, the parsnip. To me, this vegetable is underutilized. It has a sweeter flavor than a carrot and becomes even sweeter when cooked. I love parsnips and added to this stew is super tasty. It tones down the bitterness of the stout beer which is added to make this stew extra flavorful! It’s just good. This stew is so hearty that you may need to loosen your belt after eating it! Enjoy a loaf of crusty bread with Irish butter and a tossed simple green salad to round out your meal!
Enjoy the holiday and this Irish Beef Stew!
Browning the meat before putting in the stew adds a lot of great meaty flavor and breaks it down for easier braising!
There is nothing better than a big bowl of beef stew to stave off the winter’s cold!
I love the birds that I see on my walks! The Black Capped Chickadee is always fun to see. Their adorable chirps let you know where they are hiding! It’s even better when they hang out for a few minutes and pose for a picture! These cuties like to hang out in the woody shrubs and trees down by the creek near my house!
A cute little Black Capped Chickadee that I saw on one of my walks! He is excited for spring too!
Irish Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 2 pounds beef stew meat
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup diced onions
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 cups diced parsnips about 1 pound
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper
- 1 bottle stout beer I used Guiness
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 4 cups beef broth
- 1 pound small red potatoes cut into quarters or halved
- 1 1/2 cups sliced carrots
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- In a large dutch oven melt the butter with the olive oil over medium heat. In small batches add the beef. Season each batch with a pinch of salt and pepper. It took me 4 batches to brown properly. Transfer each batch to a plate and set aside.
- In the same pot, reduce heat to medium-low and add the onions, parsnips, garlic, thyme, rosemary, salt, pepper and, bay leaves. Saute for about 5 minutes or until the onions become translucent stirring occasionally.
- Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir until combined. Let cook for about 30 seconds to cook off the flour flavor. Add the Worcestershire and the beer. Cook until it begins to thicken.
- Add the beef (including all the juices that accumulate on the plate) and the broth and stir until combined. Raise the temperature and bring to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cover. Stirring occasionally.
- After about 2 1/2 hours test the meat. If it is soft and not tough, add the potatoes and the carrots. Cover and cook until the potatoes are cooked through. (about a half hour longer). If it takes longer for your meat to soften, just add the potatoes and carrots at the final 1/2 hour of cooking.
- Before serving, mix in the fresh parsley. Serve with warm bread and a tossed green salad. Enjoy!