Fall for comfort food

It’s not often that I crave a hearty bowl of stew, but since finding this recipe for Irish Stew, I now have a great go-to that will be handy for the fall winter soup/stew craving days ahead.

This stew is so flavourful and the beef gets so tender it just breaks apart.

This recipe also made for fantastic leftovers, so if you’re planning lunches double the recipe to have lots leftover.

If you’d prefer to have the cooking done for you while you’re out of the house, then you can use your slow cooker for this recipe too. Just brown the meat and add all the ingredients to the slow cooker. Cook on low and then add the peas and flour slurry right before serving.

Everyone has their own versions of mashed potatoes, but I chose to do put in a dollop or two of sour cream into mind this time for an added zip – a great complements to the flavours of the stew!

Irish Stew over Mashed Potatoes

Adapted from The Comfort of Cooking

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 lb. stewing beef, trimmed and cut into cubes

1 yellow onion, diced

3 large carrots, peeled and chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

2 bay leaves

2 cups beef broth

2 Tablespoons butter, softened

2 Tablespoons flour

Heaping 1/3 cup frozen peas

For serving:

Hot cooked mashed potatoes — try mixing in some chives or sour cream.

Directions:

In large pot or deep skillet set to medium-high heat, add olive oil. Once hot, add stewing beef and cook until browned on all sides, about 4 minutes. Add onions, carrots, garlic, salt, pepper, rosemary and bay leaves. Cook another 5 minutes. Pour in beef broth. Cover and simmer 2 to 4 hours, until meat and vegetables are tender.

When ready to serve, remove bay leaves. In a small bowl, stir softened butter and flour together until smooth. Stir butter mixture into the stew. Add frozen peas. Once the gravy thickens slightly, it’s done. Serve hot over mashed potatoes.