Drunken Potatoes

My own picture this time!

 Top of the mornin’ to ye. Some people like bars. Some people like wine and cheese clubs. Christopher and I like a good ol’ Irish pub. Here is a recipe that Christopher says rivals even the best pub stew. So without further ado here is Irish Beef Stew (with Brittany parenthetical changes of course).Original recipe from here.

Yields: 2

Ingredients

• ¼  cup olive oil
• ¾  pounds well-marbled chuck beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 large garlic cloves, minced
• 3 cups beef stock or canned beef broth
• ½  cup of Guinness beer
• ½ cup of fine red wine
• 1 tablespoons tomato paste
• ½  tablespoon sugar
• ½  tablespoon dried thyme
• ½  tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 ½  pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• ½  large onion, chopped
• 1 cup 1/2-inch pieces peeled carrots
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1 Heat olive oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. (although the recipe says ¼ cups I would put in enough to cover the base of the pot) Lightly salt the beef pieces. Working in batches if necessary, add the beef 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.

2. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute. Add beef stock, Guinness, red wine, tomato paste, sugar, thyme, Worcestershire sauce and bay leaves. (Put slightly more of the liquid than the recipe requires. When I say slightly I mean less than a ¼ cup. It will evaporate. Consume remainder of Guinness) 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 (once again put in a little more butter, enough to cover the bottom of your pan) in a large pan over medium heat. Add potatoes 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 ( I would recommend an hour to an hour and a half in order to thicken the stew). 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 (and drink more Guinness)