Beer Braised Irish Stew

An Irish Prayer

May God give you...
For every storm, a rainbow,
For every tear, a smile,
For every care, a promise,
And a blessing in each trial.
For every problem life sends,
A faithful friend to share,
For every sigh, a sweet song,
And an answer for each prayer.

Ah, St. Patrick's Day is just around the corner and in honor of my Irish heritage, I thought I would share some Irish recipes with you this week.  Up first is a simple recipe for Beer Braised Irish Stew.

Beer Braised Irish Stew

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 (3 pound) beef chuck roast, trimmed of fat and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup coarsely chopped onion
• 1 cup coarsely chopped carrot
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle dark beer
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Heat the vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until very hot, and brown the meat in 2 batches, stirring to brown the cubes on all sides. 
3. Return all the meat to the Dutch oven, sprinkle with flour, and stir lightly to coat the meat with flour.
4. Stir in onion, carrots, dark beer, bay leaves, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, garlic, and Worcestershire sauce. 
5. Bring the mixture to a boil, and cover.
6. Place the Dutch oven into the preheated oven, and cook for 45 minutes; uncover, stir the stew, and cook until the beef is very tender and the liquid is reduced by half, about 45 more minutes. 
7. Place a generous serving of Champ or Colcannon on a plate making a well in the center.  Ladle stew over the top filling the well.