Shelly's Recipe

St. Pats Favorite Guinness Beef Stew with Potatoes, Rich Caramelized Onions & Cabbage, topped with Melty Garlic-Cheese Toast

Category: Stews

Yield: Serves about 6

1 1/2 pounds lean beef stew meat, cut into bite-size chunks
Salt
Black pepper
2 tablespoons flour
Canola oil
2 onions, quartered and sliced
1 bottle (11.2 fl ounces) Guinness draught
3/4 teaspoon herbs de Provence
1/4 teaspoon granulated onion
1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
3 cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press
2 large russet potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 head cabbage, halved again & cored, then shredded
4 cups beef stock, hot
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 teaspoons rice vinegar (you can also use white, but I prefer the milder flavor of the rice)
Garlic Toasts, for garnish (recipe below)
1/2 cup shredded Irish gouda (or Irish cheddar) cheese

-In a large bowl, toss the beef stew cubes with a couple of pinches of salt and black pepper, plus the flour, to coat.

-Place a large soup/stew pot over medium high/high heat, and drizzle in about 2-3 tablespoons of the oil; once the oil is hot, add the beef in (work in a couple of batches, if necessary) and leave it undisturbed for a couple of minutes, to allow it to form a crust on the bottom, and brown; stir the meat, and allow it to continue to brown for a few minutes more until nicely caramelized with a crust on all sides.

-Remove the beef with a slotted spoon, and set aside for a few moments.

-Add another drizzle or two of oil into the pot, and add in the onions; allow them to cook for about 10 minutes, or until they begin to become golden-brown, and slightly caramelized.

-Next, add in the Guinness Stout, and allow it to reduce for about 5-6 minutes, still on fairly high heat, or until slightly syrupy and thickened.

-Next, add in the herbs de Provence, the granulated onion and garlic, plus the pressed cloves of garlic, and stir to incorporate; add the beef back in with all of its juices, then the potatoes and the cabbage, and carefully stir to combine.

-Add in the beef stock, cover with a lid slightly askew to allow just a little steam to escape, and reduce the heat to low to gently simmer the stew for about 1 ½ hours, or until the beef is very tender.

-To finish, add in the chopped parsley and the vinegar, and check your seasoning to see if you need any additional salt or black pepper; to serve, ladle into bowl, top with a garlic toast, and sprinkle on a liberal amount of the cheese; then place on a sheet tray under the broiler just until the cheese is melted and gooey.

Garlic Toasts

2 tablespoons melted butter
French baguette, sliced on the bias into 6 slices
Pinch salt
1 whole garlic clove, paper removed

-Preheat oven/toaster oven to 400, and line a small baking sheet with foil.

-Brush some of the melted butter onto the slices of baguette, and sprinkle with a pinch of salt; place into the oven to toast until golden-brown, roughly 8-10 minutes.

-Rub the garlic clove lightly over the toasted bread, and set aside until ready to add to soup and top with shredded cheese to melt.