Guiness Braised Irish Stew With Colcannon

     St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17, and is the ascribed anniversary of the saint's death in the fifth century. The Irish have observed this as a religious holiday for over 1,000 years. On St. Patrick's Day, which falls during the Christian season of Lent, Irish families would attend church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon. Lenten prohibitions against the consumption of meat  and alcohol were waived and people would dance, drink and feast.  The meal traditionally consisted of bacon, cabbage, and beer.

     So, today I thought we'd make something to celebrate St. Paddy's Day in a somewhat traditional fashion (I'm sharing this a couple days early, so that you can prepare this on the actual holiday).  This dish includes ingredients that were readily available to the Irish, and an integral part of their holiday feast and break from Lent.  The accompaniment to the stew, colcannon, is Ireland's traditional mashed potato dish made with bacon, milk, and cabbage or kale. 

As far as the beer... how can you make Irish Stew without Guiness?  This beer is Ireland's iconic dry stout, and people have been enjoying it for quite a while.  It's first incarnation was brewed by Arthur Guiness back in 1759!  Rich bodied, with flavors of roasted malt, caramel, and a hint of coffee notes... this beer makes one helluva stew. 

Ingredients:

Irish Stew:

2 cans of Guiness (one for cooking, one for drinking)

1 tbl vegetable oil

1 3lb beef chuck roast, trimmed, and cut into 1/2 inch pieces.
2 tbls flour

1 1/2 cup onion chopped

1 to 1 1/2 cup carrot chopped

3 cloves garlic chopped

2 bay leaves

1 tea thyme leaves stripped

3 cloves garlic minced

2 tbls Worcestershire sauce

Fresh thyme for garnish
salt and pepper to taste

Colannon:

4 slices of cooked bacon chopped

2 lbs of potatoes, cut into chunks

2 cups cabbage thinly sliced

1/4 cup of sharp cheddar cheese shredded

1/4 cup of room temp milk

2 tbls butter warmed

2-3 tbls of fresh parsley minced

salt and pepper to taste

Prep time: 1/2 hour

Cook time: 1 1/2 hours

Servings: approx 8

Getting Started:

I like to have all of my ingredients lined up ahead of time, otherwise there is a good probability I'll forget something.  For example: cook your bacon, and set it on paper towels to absorb excess grease.  When cooled, chop them into small crumbles.  Chop your onion, carrot, and garlic.  Cut the potatoes into chunks, and make sure your pieces of beef are all bite size.  Strip the thyme leaves, mince the parsley, and have your spices at the ready.  This ensures that cooking process will go smoothly.

Alright, crack and pour your Guiness into a glass.  Dark, and roasty...watch the magic of the cascading beer as it... wait, I'm getting distracted... let's cook!

1.  Heat 2 tbls of oil in a dutch oven, over high heat (If you don't have a dutch oven, I strongly suggest that you get one.  I promise, they are worth every penny.  Nothing compares as far as heat distribution and heat retention).  Once very hot, start browning the beef in batches, removing each batch till the last one (and drain excess grease as you go).  We're doing this in batches, because you don't want to crowd the pot with too much meat, or it won't brown properly.  Keep it to basically one layer, or the meat will boil/steam instead of sear.  If necessary, drain excess grease as you go.  Be sure to sprinkle a pinch of salt, and a few grinds of pepper with each round of meat.  When the meat is finished, return all of it to the pot, and sprinkle on the flour.  Stir to distribute the flour somewhat evenly. 

2.  Now stir in the onion, carrot, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, pepper, salt, and Worcestershire sauce.  Pour in a can of Guiness, and stir slowly while bringing the mixture to a boil.  Once at a boil, cover and place in the oven for 45 minutes.  Remove from the oven, stir, and put the pot back in for approx 45 more minutes, or until the liquid is reduced by about half or a little more.  I like my stew thick.


*If you don't have an oven safe pot, you can cook this on the stove top.  Let me know if you need directions on how to do this.*

3.  When you put the stew back in the oven after the first 45 minutes, it's a good time to start on the colcannon.  Put your potato chunks into a large pot with salted water.  Make sure the potatoes are completely submerged, and have an inch or two of water above them.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to med low.  Simmer for 20 minutes, then drain and set aside.



4.  Put the cabbage in a bowl with 2 tbls of water.  Microwave for 2 1/2 minutes, stir, then 2 1/2 minutes more.  Stove top- melt butter on med high heat, add cabbage and coat.  Add water and cover the pot.  Steam for 10-12 minutes of water to a boil.  We want it steamed, but not mushy. 

5.   Now place the potatoes into a mixing bowl.  Sprinkle on the cheese, add the butter, salt and pepper, and milk.  Using a mixer, slowly beat the potatoes until smooth and creamy.  Be careful to not over mix, this can cause the potatoes to become gluey.  Hand stir in the cabbage, bacon, and parsley. 

Now it's time to plate the awesomeness.  Take a good scoop of the potatoes and put it on a plate or bowl.  Make a mini bowl with potatoes, and fill it with the stew.  I like to keep this one simple, so the only thing I pair with this dish is some fresh thyme, a good crusty piece of bread.  Oh... and another Guiness.

This recipe may sound like a little work, but trust me, it's definitely worth the time and effort.  Next day stew leftovers will be even better than the first bowl.  Once you get a taste of this, you'll see why I make it year 'round, not just on the day we celebrate the beer 'O the Irish. 



Thanks for checking in!  And as always, if you have any questions or feedback, hit me up.


Cheers!
The Drunken Chef