Irish Beef Stew

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/irish_beef_stew/

This isn't the easy, comfort food beef stew I grew up loving, but this one is so rich & beefy (& boozy), it's worth the extra time & effort

• 2 Tbs olive oil
• 1 1/4 pounds well-marbled chuck beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 6 large garlic cloves, minced
• 6 cups beef stock (I've used water & the jarred Better than Bouillon & it came out well)
• I cup of Guinness beer
• 1 cup of fine red wine (or for those of us with less discerning tastes, 3 buck Chuck is fine)
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
• 2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 cups 1/2-inch pieces peeled carrots
• 1 cup sliced brown mushrooms
• Salt and Pepper

METHOD

1 Heat olive oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Lightly salt the beef pieces. Working in batches if necessary, add the beef (do not crowd the pan, or the meat will steam and not brown) 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. Add garlic and tomato paste and sauté 5 minutes. Add beef stock, Guinness, red wine, sugar, thyme, Worcestershire sauce and bay leaves. Stir to combine. Bring mixture to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, then simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

2 While the meat and stock is simmering, melt butter in another large pot over medium heat. Brown the mushrooms & remove from pan. Add potatoes, onion carrots, and salt & pepper to taste. Sauté vegetables until softened, about 20 minutes. Add a little stew stock to pot to deglaze the stuck, brown bits on the bottom. Set aside until the beef stew in step one has simmered for one hour.

3 Add vegetables & mushrooms to beef stew. Simmer uncovered until vegetables and beef are very tender, about 40 minutes. If stew becomes too thick, use a little water or stock to thin as needed. Discard bay leaves. Tilt pan and spoon off fat as needed. (Can be prepared up to 2 days ahead. Cool slightly. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, then cover and refrigerate. Bring to simmer before serving.)

Great with crusty bread for dipping

Serves 4 to 6.