Irish Guinness Beef Stew with Potatoes

Irish Guinness Beef Stew, with Irish buttery mashed potatoes is the richest stew ever. Incredibly delicious and satisfying!

It’s hard to get away from “Guinness this” and “Guinness that”, while in Ireland and in fact the “Guinness Storehouse” is a top tourist site in Dublin. Though beer is not a beverage in my diet, we found while recently sampling Irish cuisine “in situ”, that when added to beef and lamb dishes, the stout creates a deep robust flavor, that is absorbed by the meet and vegetables. In fact the sauce actually glistens ridicuously with richness in the pot.

To our delight, most every stew and shepherd or cottage pie were topped with buttery mashed potatoes, some times sculpted decoratively and other times just plopped on. We would expect nothing less in Ireland.

Who could resist? Not this carb counter! I didn’t even bother to count the number of carbs as the potatoes purred and hummed in unison with the rich stews as we ate them. In fact we were so pleasantly satiated from our meals that we found ourselves humming Irish tunes. There is a time and place for restraint, but this was not it. On your next day of no dietary restraint, pull out the stout and start stewing!

Irish Guinness Beef Stew

2 tablespoons olive oil 2 1/2 pounds beef chuck , boneless short rib or any other slow cooking beef (boneless) 3/4 teaspoons each salt and black pepper 3 garlic cloves , minced 2 onions , chopped 6 ounces bacon , speck or pancetta, diced 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1/3 - 1/2 cup Guinness Beer 4 tablespoons tomato paste 3 cups chicken or beef stock/broth 3 carrots , peeled and cut into 1/2″ thick pieces 2 bay leaves 3 sprigs thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

-Cut the beef into 2″ chunks. Pat dry then lightly coat with flour, salt and pepper.

-Heat oil in a heavy based pot over high heat. Add beef in batches and brown well all over. Remove onto plate. Repeat with remaining beef.

-Lower heat to medium. If the pot is looking dry, add oil. Cook onion for 3 minutes, stirring frequently for about 3 minutes until softening, then and garlic and bacon. Cook until bacon is browned, then stir in carrot. Add flour, and stir for 1 minute. Add Guinness, chicken broth/stock and tomato paste. Mix well, add bay leaves and thyme. 

-Return beef to the pot with the sauce (including any juices). Liquid level should just cover the meat. Cover, then bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from the stove and place in a 325 degree heated oven.

-Cook for 2 1/2 hours, covered. Test the beef by piercing with a fork. It should give no more than just a bit of resistance. Remove the lid, stir, then continue to cook a further 30 minutes until the liquid is thickened and the beef falls apart easily.

-Skim off fat on surface, if desired. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Remove bay leaves.

-Serve with creamy mashed potatoes either piped or spread on top of the stew or served on the side. Garnish potatoes with extra butter and garnish with chopped chives or green onion. Makes 8 servings.

Creamy Mashed Potatoes:

4-5 pounds Russet or Yukon Gold Potatoes, peeled and cut in half

3/4 cup butter, plus more for topping

4 ounces cream cheese, softened or 1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 to 3/4 cup half-and-half or cream

salt and pepper to taste

-Peel and cut the potatoes into pieces that are generally the same size. Bring a large pot of sa;ted water to a simmer and add the potatoes. Bring to a boil, cover the pot, then cook for 30 to 35 minutes, until fork tender. The fork should easily slide into the potatoes with no resistance, and the potatoes should almost, but not totally, fall apart.

-Drain the potatoes then place them back into the dry pot and put the pot on the stove. Mash the potatoes over low heat, allowing all the steam to escape, before adding in all the other ingredients.

-Heat milk/cream in small saucepan with the butter, until the butter is melted. Pour and mash into the potatoes until the potatoes are very smooth. Add the room temperature cream cheese/sour cream and mix again. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

-Stir well, then place in a medium-sized baking dish. Throw a few pats of butter over the top of the potatoes and garnish wiith chives. Serve alongside the hot stew. Or if preferred, fill a piping bag, fitted with a large round or start tip, and pipe decoratively on top of the stew. You can also mound the potatoes by the spoonfuls on top of the stew and spread and sculpt it over the top. Sprinkle with chopped chives. serve immediately or keep warm in300 degree oven, until ready to serve.

Make the sauce by combining, onions, bacon, carrots, stock, Guinness and the herbs then simmer.

Trim and cut beef into cubes then brown in oil in a pot.

Combine the sauce with the beef in an oven proof casserole dish or stock pot.

Bake the stew for 2 hours, covered, until the beef is almost fork tender. Remove the lid and continue to cook another 30 minutes, until the beef is completely tender and the sauce is thickened.

The sauce is so silky and rich with deep, intense flavors.

Now, here come the mashed potatoes, piped decoratively, or spread them in a sculpted layer all over the top of the stew.

Buttery and smooth mashed potatoes make this Irish dish, Irish! And the potatoes and stew complement each other perfectly!

Hearty and so, so completely satisfying,

A Pot of Gold flavors at the end of your rainbow is waiting for you. It’s easy to make and even easier to enjoy!

PERSNICKETY NOTES:

**Guinness Beer is a dark colored, strong Irish beer and it is the key flavoring for the sauce of this stew. It melds with the other ingredients to create a rich and complex flavored sauce (If you cannot consume alcohol, substitute the Guinness with 2 cups water plus 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce plus 2 beef bouillon cubes crumbled. It will miss the richness that comes from the beer but will make a delicious classic beef stew. )

**Beef vs Chicken Broth – Chicken broth is used in this recipe because the flavor is slightly milder which lets the Guinness flavor come through. But beef broth works just as well and you can definitely still taste the Guinness.

**When making this dish a day or two in advance, take it out of the fridge about 2 to 3 hours before serving time. Bake in a 350ºF oven. covered, for about 20 to 30 minutes or until warmed through.