Rich and hearty, this Irish beef stew is my husband's favorite. The beef is incredibly tender. Served with crusty bread, it's an ideal cool-weather meal and perfect for any Irish holiday.
Ingredients
- 8 bacon strips, diced
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 3 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 pound whole fresh mushrooms, quartered
- 3 medium leeks (white portion only), chopped
- 2 medium carrots, chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped celery
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 4 cups reduced-sodium beef broth
- 1 cup dark stout beer or additional reduced-sodium beef broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
- 2 pounds yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons cold water
- 1 cup frozen peas
Instruction
- In a stockpot, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, remove to paper towels. In a large shallow dish, combine flour, salt and pepper. Add beef, a few pieces at a time, and turn to coat. Brown beef in the bacon drippings. Remove and set aside.
- In the same pot, saute the mushrooms, leeks, carrots and celery in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in tomato paste until blended. Add the broth, beer, bay leaves, thyme, parsley and rosemary. Return beef and bacon to pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until beef is tender, about 2 hours.
- Add potatoes. Return to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 1 hour longer. Combine cornstarch and water until smooth; stir into stew. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened, about 2 minutes. Add peas; heat through. Discard bay leaves.
