Filed Under: 20msc-fridaySelection, 30 minutes or more, Beef, Dinner, Food, Potatoes, Vegetables

Beef and Guinness Irish Stew

Make this stew the night before a jam-packed evening so all you have to do is warm it up. Serve with crusty bread for a perfect meal on a cold day.

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October 9th, 2012

By Paula Bowman

Tip: For those weeks when every evening is booked up, prep this meal in the morning. Complete steps 1 to 3, then pour stew into the slow cooker. Dinner will be ready when you walk through the door.
Servings
Serves 4-6
Prep Time
Prep time: 20 minutes. Prep to table time: 2 hours, mostly unattended.
Ingredients
  • 2 ½ lb stewing beef, cut into 2-inch cubes
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 1 cup diced (¼-inch thick) red onion
  • 4 carrots, peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces
  • 2 red potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 2 cloves garlic, sliced
  • 1 ½ cup beef stock
  • 1 ½ cup Guinness or other dark beer
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tsp thyme leaves, chopped
  • 3 tbsp chopped parsley for garnish, optional
Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

  2. Place the beef in a large bowl and sprinkle with the flour, salt and pepper, turning to cover completely. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven. Sear ¼ of the beef at a time being careful not to crowd the pan. Turn the beef cubes so they are uniformly brown on all sides; be sure to control heat so beef and drippings do not burn. Remove the first batch to a baking sheet; continue to cook remaining batches until all beef is seared and set aside.

  3. Turn the heat down to medium and add onion, carrots, potatoes and garlic to the same pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the beef back to the pot along with the stock, Guinness, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce and thyme, stirring to combine.

  4. Bring the pot to a boil and then cover the casserole pot and bake in the oven for 1 ¼ to 1 ½ hours until the beef is tender. Cool and refrigerate in pot overnight.

  5. The next evening, reheat, stir in parsley and serve in warm bowls.

Nutrients Per Serving

436 calories, 17 g fat, 53 mg calcium, 684 mg sodium, 27 g carbohydrates, 3 g fibre, 40 g protein. Excellent source of vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B6 and B12, magnesium, iron and zinc.

Beef and Guinness Irish Stew
Photography by Carlo Mendoza