Irish Beef Stew
Tender beef slow-simmered with leeks, carrots, and dark stout beer, served over creamy garlic mashed potatoes — comfort food at its best.
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 leek, thinly sliced
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 cup dark stout beer (beef broth can be used as a non-alcoholic substitute)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- 2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup half and half
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- To make the garlic mashed potatoes, place the potatoes and 4 cloves of garlic in a large stockpot or Dutch oven and cover with cold water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 15 to 20 minutes, then drain well and return the potatoes to the pot.
- Stir in the half and half and butter. Using a potato masher, mash until smooth and creamy, then set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Season the beef with salt and pepper, add it to the pot, and cook until evenly browned on all sides, about 2 to 3 minutes, then set aside.
- Add the garlic, onion, leek, and carrots to the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste until well combined, about 1 minute.
- Whisk in the beef broth, stout beer, parsley, thyme, bay leaf, and the browned beef, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until the beef is tender, about 90 minutes.
- In a small bowl, combine the butter and flour. Add this mixture to the stockpot and stir until the stew thickens, about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the frozen peas and cook until heated through, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Discard the bay leaf, then serve the stew immediately over the garlic mashed potatoes.
Chef's Note: Browning the beef before it goes into the simmering liquid is a step worth not rushing — those deep brown edges build a base of flavor throughout the whole stew that boiling raw meat straight in the liquid never quite achieves. The dark stout beer does more than add alcohol; its roasted, slightly bitter malt notes balance the richness of the beef and butter in a way that plain broth alone can't replicate.
Whisking the butter-and-flour mixture into the stew near the end is a classic thickening trick that works without needing to make a separate roux ahead of time. If you'd rather skip the alcohol entirely, beef broth substitutes cleanly for the stout with only a slight difference in depth of flavor, and half and half can be swapped for 3/4 cup whole milk plus 1/4 cup heavy cream if that's what's on hand.
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