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As far as holidays go, I think that St. Patrick’s Day is one of the most celebrated holidays that doesn’t involve much cooking creativity. What I’ve seen is that people either go to a restaurant serving Irish fare or make corned beef and cabbage at home. For some reason, the wearing o’ the green doesn’t encourage people to try different dishes.
Hopefully this recipe series will encourage Think Tasty readers to serve something new. With St. Patrick’s Day falling on a Saturday, it gives home cooks even more time and opportunity to try a new recipe and surprise their friends and family with a unique Irish dish.
Today’s recipe is Scots Irish Stew,which is a hearty dish filled with beef or lamb (your choice!). If you’re expecting St. Paddy’s Day to be chilly, this could be the perfect entrée to warm your guests and satisfy their hunger.
- 3 pounds stew beef or lamb, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 head garlic, mince all the cloves in the head
- 2-3 large onions, chopped
- 6 cups beef stock (you can prepare from beef cubes with water)
- 1 cup dark ale
- 1 can tomato paste (cup of tomato catsup can substitute)
- 4 large tomatoes, chopped
- 1 Tb. sugar
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp. basil
- 1 Tb. thyme
- 1 Tb. Worcestershire sauce (soy sauce can substitute)
- 3-1/2 pounds red potatoes
- 1/2 stick butter
- 3 cups peeled carrots, cut in medallions
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 piece cinnamon bark
- Parsley and coriander leaves for garnish
- Heat olive oil in very large pot over medium heat. Sauté meat until brown, then add garlic and onion. Continue to move the meat in the pot with new ingredients over heat for another seven minutes, then sprinkle with sugar.
- Add beef stock, ale, tomato ingredients, spices, and Worcestershire or soy sauce, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer for another two hours, stirring every 15-20 minutes. In a deep skillet, sauté the potatoes and carrots in butter or olive oil, whichever you prefer.
- Add to the stew pot after it has simmered for two hours. Add the cinnamon bark or stick and simmer on lowest heat for another 40 minutes. Remove the bark and bay leaves.
- Garnish with parsley, coriander, or a combination of both.
- Serve this Scots Irish stew with garlic bread, crusty Italian bread with creamery butter, or traditional Irish soda bread.
- A glass of red wine or mug of Guinness goes very well with this easy to prepare Irish dinner.
This looks delicious! I will try this recipe.