Given that it was St. Patrick's Day this weekend, we thought it fitting to make some Irish stew. Jared started making this several years ago after a trip to Ireland (one of many places one of us has been without the other that we want to go back to together). And this stew is stick to your bones wintery goodness. Perfect for the sun/rain/snow/hail all in the same day that is March in Portland... It's hearty, the meat is so tender, and the Guinness adds just the right amount of flavor. It's probably more of a weekend recipe, considering the time (but I promise it's worth it).
Slow Cooker Beef and Guinness Stew
Ingredients:
- 3 lbs boneless beef chuck, trimmed, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 large (14 ounces) yellow onion, coarsely chopped
- 1 can (14.0 ounces) Guinness Draught beer or 1 3/4 cups Guinness Extra Stout
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 can (14.5 ounces) beef broth
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 small sprigs fresh thyme or 1/4 tsp dried
- 1 lb small red boiling potatoes, halved
- 3 carrots, peeled, cut into 1-inch chunks
Pat the beef dry with paper towels. Combine the flour, salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Add the beef, toss to coat well with the flour. Reserve the remaining seasoned flour for later.
Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet. Add the beef in batches in a single, uncrowded layer. Cook, turning, until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes per batch. Transfer to a slow-cooker. Add the onion to the skillet; cook until golden, about five minutes. Add the Guinness and garlic; boil one minute, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the mixture to the slow-cooker.
Add the broth, parsley, bay and thyme to the slow-cooker. Cover; cook on low until meat is almost tender, two-and-a-half to three hours. Sprinkle in the reserved seasoned flour; stir. Add potatoes and carrots. Cover, cook on high until tender, about one hour. Taste pan juices, adjust seasonings.
Enjoy!
(PS. One of the great joys as a parent is being able to dress your kid up in holiday appropriate attire. Yeah. Take that all my friends who posted on Facebook about their drunken, fancy-free St. Paddy's Day! Cute baby trumps your hangover any day. At least that's what I tell myself. Anyway, this might be my favorite so far...)
Hope you all had a great St. Patrick's Day!! :-)