My Chicago friends, Donncha and Cathy Carroll gave me this recipe years ago. I’m constantly modifying it a bit, but the basic flavors are from the original recipe.
Irish Stew
Courtesy of Donncha and Cathy Carroll
with a few modifications from Wayne
Serves 4 to 6.
Ingredients
1/4 cu Olive Oil
1 1/4 lb Stewing Beef, cut into 1-inch pieces
6 lg Garlic Cloves, minced
6 cu Beef Stock
1 cu Guinness Beer
1 cu Red Wine
2 tbl Tomato Paste
1 tbl Sugar
5-6 Fresh Thyme Sprigs, tied together with kitchen twine.
1 tbl Worcestershire Sauce
2 Bay Leaves
3 tbl Real Butter (Kerrygold if you can get it)
3 lb Spuds, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 tbl Fresh Rosemary, chopped and two whole sprigs
1 lg White Onion, chopped
2 cu Carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
Salt and Pepper
Method
Season beef with about 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add beef and sauté until brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute. Add beef stock, Guinness, red wine, tomato paste, sugar, Worcestershire sauce and bay leaves. Stir to combine and toss in thyme bundle. Bring mixture to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, then cover and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place the potatoes on a baking sheet or roasting pan and drizzle remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil on top. Sprinkle chopped rosemary over potatoes and toss everything together. Toss in the two extra sprigs of rosemary and roast the potatoes for about 40 minutes, stirring them a few times while they are roasting.
Separately, melt butter in another large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and carrots. Sauté vegetables until golden, about 20 minutes.
Add sautéed vegetables to beef stew. Remove the roasted potatoes from then oven and remove the whole rosemary sprigs. Add the potatoes to the stew. Simmer uncovered until vegetables and beef are very tender, about another 30 minutes.
Discard bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Tilt pan and spoon off fat. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.[/fusion_text]