Happy St. Patrick’s Day! As you might imagine with the last name “McCann” St. Patrick's Day has always been a family favorite to celebrate. It all started back when I was a kid and my dad would bust out his Clancy Brothers records. My mom would make some Irish soda bread and corned beef and cabbage. Then, we’d close out the day with some “Irish coffee.” Well, my parents would; I’d just have a little regular coffee with some whipped cream. Now that I have a family, it’s still Clancy Brothers, but there’s Guinness and typically, my favorite Irish meal, Shepherd’s Pie. But, the girls aren’t with me this St. Patrick’s Day, so I decided to try something a little different with this Guinness Beef Stew. The flavors are so deep in this dish, but it’s not a dull flavor, especially when you get a little kick-in-the-pants from the scallion horseradish cream sauce. Serve it up with a cold Guinness and you’re good to go!
Guinness Beef Stew
~3 pounds beef chuck roast
2 tbsp + ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
4 tbsp vegetable oil
3 large garlic cloves, chopped
2 dried shiitake mushrooms, halved
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp cocoa powder
1 tsp onion powder
½ tsp espresso powder
½ tsp fennel seeds
2 cans of Guinness
3 cups beef stock
2 fresh thyme sprigs
1 sprig of rosemary
1 lb Yukon gold potatoes, washed and cut into quarters
2 small turnips, peeled and chopped
2 small parsnips, peeled and chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp lemon juice, plus more to taste
¾ cup sour cream
3 tbsp jarred horseradish
1 bunch of scallions, sliced thinly
Pull the beef apart at the seams and cut away any sinew/silverskin and large hunks of fat. Then, cut the beef into 2” chunks. Liberally season with kosher salt and black pepper all over.
Add 2 tbsp of flour to a large ziplock bag, toss in the beef, seal and shake until the meat is dusted with flour.
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large dutch oven, set over medium-high heat, and brown the meat until a nice crust forms all over, about 12 minutes, flipping the beef with tongs after 4 minute intervals.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Once the meat has browned, remove it from the pot and reserve.
Add in the remaining 2 tbsp of oil, lower the heat to medium, and stir in the garlic and mushrooms, until fragrant, about a minute.
Then, add in the tomato paste, brown sugar, cocoa, onion, and espresso powders, and fennel seeds. Stir until dissolved and fragrant, another minute or so.
Sprinkle the ⅓ cup of flour all around the bottom of the pot and stir constantly for a minute. A lovely crust will develop on the bottom of the pot.
Now, add in the beer and stock and increase the heat to medium-high. Whisk the browned bits off the bottom of the pot and continue to cook, until boiling, stirring frequently.
After the stock boils for a minute, add in the reserved beef, chopped vegetables and fresh herbs. Cover and place in the oven.
Braise the stew for 2 hours, stirring halfway through.
Remove the pot from the oven and add in the vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and lemon juice. Stir to combine and remove the sprigs of fresh herbs. Taste for any seasoning needs and set covered for a couple of minutes to let the flavors develop.
Meanwhile, combine the horseradish. sour cream, and sliced scallions.
Serve the stew in bowls, passing the horseradish cream at the table.
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