Irish Beef Stew

No, it is not St. Patrick’s Day but like the Baked Honey-Mustard Corned Beef, this meal should not be reserved for just one day out of the year. I actually didn’t even make this for St. Patrick’s Day. I made it for… well, just dinner on a random night. It’s so easy to whip up, and it doesn’t even take much ingredients, but you should carve out about 2-3 hours to make this so you can really simmer the meat until its wonderfully juicy and tender, like melt-in-your-mouth tender.

You can serve this over some buttery cream cheese mashed potatoes or even brown rice, which makes this dish a bit healthier. I tried it both ways and loved it either way. I’ll be honest though - I may have loved the former just a tiny bit more. I do try to be healthy but I won’t deny the good stuff!

One year ago: White Chocolate Butterscotch Chip Cookies

Irish Beef Stew (adapted from Lauren’s Latest):

Yields 4 servings

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound stew meat
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, diced
• 4 large carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon rosemary
• 1 large bay leaf
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 cups beef broth
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup frozen peas
• Mashed potatoes, for serving

Heat olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the stew meat and sear until browned on all sides, about 3-4 minutes.

Add the garlic, onion, carrots, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, salt and pepper, to taste.

Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions become translucent, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the beef broth, deglazing the pan with a wooden spoon. (This loosens up all those tasty bits on the bottom of the pan.)

Cover and simmer until the meat is very tender, about 2-3 hours.

In a small bowl, combine the butter and flour.

Remove the bay leaf and stir in the butter mixture until slightly thickened, about 1-2 minutes.

Stir in the peas until heated through, about 1 minute.

Serve immediately over mashed potatoes.

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Also, don’t forget to enter my giveaway! Winners for the donut pan will be picked on Friday, April 20th and announced Monday.