Printable Recipe: My Favorite Irish Stew Recipe

My Favorite Irish Stew: The BEST St Patrick's Day Recipe!

When searching for recipes for traditional Irish stew for St. Patrick's Day, you'll probably find about a hundred different versions, each one claiming to be the "best" or the "Irish stew authority." Some say that the stew should have no veggies. Some say it should be made with beef, while others say lamb. Some cooks say that it should cook quickly, others cook theirs for hours. How can you know what's best?

You can't. But the recipe below makes a lovely Irish lamb stew that is a great St. Patricks Day recipe. I love it, it turns out beautifully every time, and my guests always rave. Am I Irish? Nope. Do I know that this is 100-percent authentic? Also nope. But it tastes fabulous and will be a great part of your St. Patrick's Day dinner party. Get ready for people to ask for seconds and thirds.

Tip: Is lamb a little too pricey for you? You can also make this with beef. The flavor will be different, but it's still divine.

Serves about 6.

Ingredients:
1/4 C. olive oil
3 lbs. lamb, trimmed and cut into chunks
2 C. chopped onion
1/2 C. all-purpose flour
1 stick unsalted butter
1 C. Guinness beer
3 C. good-quality beef broth
1 C. canned pear tomatoes, squished by hand
2 bay leaves
1/2 lb. parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks
1/2 lb. carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
1 lb. white potato, peeled and cut into chunks
6 cloves garlic, sliced
1 tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 C. frozen peas, thawed
Salt and fresh-ground black pepper, to taste (I use lots of both)

Instructions: 1.Heat half the olive oil in a heavy pan. Brown lamb pieces in oil. Remove from pot with a slotted spoon. Don't worry if the lamb isn't tender-- it'll cook some more.

2. Add onion to oil still in plan and cook until translucent and tender. Add butter. When butter melts, stir in the flour. Cook flour, butter, and onion mixture on low heat until the mixture (called a roux) is brown. This should take about 15 minutes.

3. Whisking constantly with a wire whisk, add the Guinness and the beef broth. When mixture is smooth, add in the tomatoes, bay leaves, and browned lamb. Bring to a simmer.

4. Simmer over low heat, keeping covered, about 90 minutes. Alternately, you can make this a slow cooker St Patrick's Day recipe by cooking in your crock pot over low heat for 6 hours or so.

5. While stew is simmering, prepare your roasted vegetables. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a large bowl, toss together the parsnip, potato, carrot, garlic, the rest of the olive oil, and the two rosemary sprigs. Pour onto a large pan (or use two) and roast about 40 minutes, until tender, stirring occasionally. Throw rosemary away.

6. When cooked, pour your veggie mixture, the chopped rosemary, and the peas into your stew mixture. Let simmer about 15 minutes, til heated through and well combined. Or, for a slow cooker stew, add veggies to the crock pot and let them cook on medium heat about 45 minutes to an hour.

7. Remove bay leaves from stew. Add salt and pepper to taste.

8. Serve this most popular of St Patrick's Day recipes in big bowls with lots of crusty bread and butter, and watch your guests come back for more.