Irish Beef Stew

It doesn't have to be St. Patrick's Day to enjoy a good Irish Stew.

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil

1 1/4 pounds well-marbled chuck beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch pieces (NOT extra-lean)

6 large garlic cloves minced

6 cups beef stock (recipe for beef stock included below)

1 cup Guinness beer

1 cup fine red wine

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter

3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 7 cups)

1 large onion, chopped

2 cups 1/2-inch pieces peeled carrots

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley Salt and Pepper

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Lightly salt the beef pieces. Working in batches if necessary, add the beef (do not crowd the pan, or the meat will steam and not brown) and cook, without stirring, until nicely browned on one side, then use tongs to turn the pieces over. Continue to cook in this manner until all sides are browned, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute. Add beef stock, Guinness, red wine, tomato paste, sugar, thyme, Worcestershire sauce and bay leaves. Stir to combine. Bring mixture to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, then cover and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

2. While the meat and stock is simmering, melt butter in another large pot over medium heat. Add potatoes, onion and carrots. Sauté vegetables until golden, about 20 minutes. Set aside until the beef stew in step one has simmered for one hour.

3. Add vegetables to beef stew. Simmer uncovered until vegetables and beef are very tender, about 40 minutes. Discard bay leaves. Tilt pan and spoon off fat. Transfer stew to serving bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with parsley and serve. (Can be prepared up to 2 days ahead. Cool slightly. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, then cover and refrigerate. Bring to simmer before serving.)

Servings: 6-8

Simple Beef Stock

Ingredients:

3 pounds of beef bones

3 onions

2 carrots 1 bunch of celery

1 Bay leaf

1 can tomato paste 12 cups of water

Directions:

Place bones in pan and cover with tomato paste; place in oven and brown bones at 250 degrees for 1 hour. Take bones out of oven and place in pot and add remaining ingredients. Bring mixture to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 2 -3 hours. Strain mixture into a large container and discard bones and veggies.

Servings: 4