Irish Stew

Okay, I'm not Irish (as far as I know there's not a drop of Irish blood in me, could be wrong), and I've never been to Ireland, but there's something about St. Patrick's Day that I just love. I think it's the color green, my favorite. Maybe it's that I have an excuse to drink beer (some of which is green!). Oh, and don't think I've forgetten about the FOOD! These may not be the reasons this holiday began, but they are damn good enough for me to want to celebrate it.

I wanted to make a traditional Irish dinner in honor of the holiday, what better place to look for a recipe than Donal Skehan's blog? He is Irish, afterall! This recipe is traditional, with the exception that it uses beef instead of lamb. It's an amazing one pot stew that comes together pretty quick. It has a wonderful taste, and just the right amount of chunky veggies. Served with some Irish Soda Bread, this is the perfect St. Patty's Day dinner. :)




-Jess

Irish Stew
Recipe from GoodMoodFood

•3 Tbsp. wholemeal flour
•3 teaspoons ground black pepper
•1 ½ pounds stew steak
•Sunflower oil
•4 large carrots, sliced
•2 large onions, chopped into half moon pieces
•5 Cups beef broth
•A good pinch of sea salt
•2 bay leaves
•5 large potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1cm discs
•A good handful of freshly chopped parsley

•Preheat the oven to 400

•Place the steak, wholemeal flour, and black pepper in a resealable plastic bag. Seal the bag and give it a good shake so that all the steak pieces have a nice coating of flour and pepper. Heat a large frying pan with a good glug of sunflower oil and brown half the steak pieces. Transfer the steak pieces to a large casserole. Repeat with the rest of the meat.

•Fry the onions in the meat juices on the pan for 2 minutes, adding an extra drop of oil if necessary. Transfer the onions to the casserole. Add in the carrots, beef broth, sea salt, bay leaves, and stir through. Add the potato slices on top, season with a generous amount of black pepper and cover with the lid. Transfer the casserole to the oven and cook for 1 ½ hours.

•Serve straight from the casserole, along with some Irish Soda Bread to sop up the juices. Sprinkle the parsley on top and enjoy!