Irish Beef Stew
Rich and hearty with beef that is incredibly tender, this stew is my husband’s favorite. It is an ideal cool-weather meal and is perfect for any Irish holiday.
—Carrie Karleen, St. Nicolas, QC
Prep: 40 min. • Cook: 3 ¼ hours • Makes: 15 servings
- 8 bacon strips, diced
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. pepper
- 3 lbs. beef stew meat, cut into 1-in. cubes
- 1 lb. whole fresh mushrooms, quartered
- 3 medium leeks (white portion only), chopped
- 2 medium carrots, chopped
- ¼ cup chopped celery
- 1 Tbsp. canola oil
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
- 4 cups reduced-sodium beef broth
- 1 cup dark stout beer or additional reduced-sodium beef broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- 1 tsp. dried parsley flakes
- 1 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed
- 2 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1-in. cubes
- 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
- 2 Tbsp. cold water
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1. 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.
- 2. In the same pot, saute 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 the beef and the bacon to pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 2 hours or until beef is tender.
- 3. Add potatoes. Return to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 1 hour longer or until potatoes are tender. Combine cornstarch and water until smooth; stir into stew. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened, 2 minutes. Add peas; heat through. Discard bay leaves.
1 cup: 301 cal., 13g fat (4g sat. fat), 66mg chol., 441mg sod., 21g carb. (3g sugars, 2g fiber), 23g pro.
TIP
Debate over what constitutes a “real” Irish stew rages—whether it should be broth-based or thickened, and what kind of meat should be used. Potatoes and onions are the only must-haves. Some cooks use starchy potatoes and forgo any thickener like flour or cornstarch. For those who prefer their Irish stew made with lamb, it’s simple to just substitute cubed lamb stew meat for the beef in this recipe.
