Irish Beef Stew

St. Patrick's Day may be just around the corner, but I plan to make this hearty stew just because. The ingredients are simple, the recipe straight forward, the only thing I'm concerned about is using Guinness. I've never even had a sip let alone used it in a recipe. I'm tempted to substitute red wine instead... I'll let you know how it goes.

Guinness Irish Beef Stew

1-2 lb of chuck beef cubes

8 carrots – peeled and cut into chunks
1 large white onion - chopped
4 cloves garlic - minced
1 bay leaf
1 tsp salt
2 tsp black pepper (or more!)
3 cups of water
10 baby potatoes - quartered
2 tsp sugar
1 can or bottle of Guinness
1 six oz can of tomato paste (I used a Thick & Rich tomato paste – the only ingredient is tomatoes)

1. Add about a tablespoon of oil to a frying pan, heat on medium-low fire, and cook beef cubes until browned. Transfer beef and juice to a large pot (or slow cooker).
2. Add another tablespoon of oil to pan, and sauté garlic and onion until lightly browned. Transfer to large pot (make sure to use all the flavor from the pan by heating a bit of water in the pan and pouring it into the pot).
3. Into the large pot, add the carrots, bay leaf, salt, black pepper, and 3 cups of water. Cover, and simmer on low fire for 2 hours.
4. Add baby potatoes to the pot. Cover, and simmer for one hour, or until potatoes are softened.
5. In a bowl, mix together Guinness, sugar, and tomato paste. Then pour the mix into the large pot. Cover and simmer for one more hour, or until desired thickness (stirring occasionally to prevent burning).
6. Serve hot, with freshly ground pepper sprinkled on top. Or store in refrigerator overnight and enjoy the next day, since stews always taste better after a day or two. 

Recipe via Season with Spice. Please click to read all of the recipe notes.