crock pot week: irish beef stew

So there has been a major lack of savory dishes on greens & chocolate lately.  Like I said last week, this was partly due to some major flops in the kitchen, but it has also because I have been prepping for something big.  Something very, very big: one whole week of crock pot recipes.  That’s right, 7 different recipes that you can set and forget.  Seven different ways to make your life easier.  Not one, not three, but seven dishes that can be ready for you to eat when you walk in the door after a long day of work.  


Before I start with the first recipe, I need to mention the reason I even have a crock pot with me here in Seattle.  You see, I had to pack everything that I wanted to bring with me for my 5 month clinical in my car.  My big 6 quart crock pot did not make the cut.  When Aunt Penny heard that I didn’t have my crock pot with me, she was appalled.  She couldn’t believe that I wouldn’t be posting crock pot recipes be able to use a crock pot for 5 whole months.  She took the matter into her own hands and had me pick out a crock pot that I wanted from Target.com, and had it ordered and mailed to me.  What a lady!  


I wanted to show Aunt Penny how much I appreciated my new crock pot and I didn’t think a couple recipes would do it.  This brings us to now: Crock Pot Week.  I thought long and hard about the recipes that I would be posting for Crock Pot Week and tried to make sure there was some variety.  This will not be a week full of chili and pot roast recipes!  There will be main dishes, side dishes, soups, stews, and maybe, just maybe a dessert.  If you’re lucky.  

The first recipe I have for you is a classic: Irish beef stew.  I found a recipe for Irish beef stew made on the stovetop, and decided to modify it for the crock pot.  So what makes a beef stew an Irish beef stew?  Well, what makes the Irish, Irish? Guinness!  Or any stout beer, I suppose.  Also in this recipe is some red wine which, along with the beer, adds a depth of flavor that you just don’t get with normal beef stew.  


The original recipe that I adapted this from was made on the stovetop and required some major hands on babysitting time.  While there is some prep work like browning the meat and sauteing the onions, the rest of the magic is done in the crock pot, in which over a days time of cooking, the flavors come together and make a truly delicious beef stew.  Excuse me, Irish beef stew.  

Crock Pot Irish Beef Stew
adapted from Simply Recipes
serves 4 to 6


1/4 cup olive oil
2 lb beef stew meat cut into 1-inch pieces (NOT extra lean)
6 cloves garlic, minced
5-6 cups beef broth or beef stock
1 cup Guinness beer
1 cup red wine (I used cabernet sauvignon)
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp white sugar
1 tbsp dried thyme
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
3 fresh bay leaves or 2 dried
2 tbsp salted butter
4 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large white onion, chopped
2 cups 1/2 inch peeled carrots
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley to top


Directions:


Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.  Working in batches, brown the beef pieces.  Make sure not to overcrowd the skillet (or the meat won’t brown) and don’t stir while browning.  Use tongs to flip pieces over.  Continue to cook until all of the pieces are lightly browned on each side.  It doesn’t matter that they aren’t cooked all the way through.  Set beef aside.  


In skillet, add 2 more tbsp of olive oil and the garlic.  Saute 1 minute.  Add onion and cook until translucent.  


Add browned beef pieces, garlic, onions, carrots, potatoes, beef broth, Guinness, wine, and spices, to crock pot.  Set crock pot on low for 8-9 hours, or high for 5-6 hours.  Serve in bowls with some crusty bread or beer bread.  Enjoy!

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