Bourbon & Stout Beef Stew

Last week, after finding stew meat on sale at the grocery store, I whipped up some beef stew and it turned out so well I thought I'd share the recipe with you (plus it gave me an excuse to photograph produce, which is one of my favorite subjects lately). While it's not quite a traditional Irish stew, I think it could work quite nicely for Saint Patrick's Day, in case you're thinking of making something festive next Monday.

Bourbon & Stout Beef Stew
(Makes 4 hearty servings)

Ingredients:

1 pound beef stew meat (chuck or bottom round roast cut into cubes)
2 T butter
1/2 medium onion
1 T minced garlic
2 T tomato paste
2 c beef broth
Dash Worcestershire sauce
2 medium potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 carrots, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 c sliced crimini mushrooms
2 T bourbon
1/4 c stout beer
1/4 c minced fresh Italian parsley

Preparation: 

Sprinkle stew meat with salt and pepper. Melt butter in a heavy pot over medium-high heat. Once melted, brown the stew meat, working in batches if needed to ensure the meat isn't crowded in the pan. Once nicely browned, remove the meat from the pan with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate. Set meat aside.

Add garlic and onion to pan and stir, scraping all the brown bits up from the bottom of the pan. Cook for 2 minutes, then add tomato paste and cook 2 minutes more. Add beef stock and Worcestershire, stirring constantly. Add beef back to the pan. Cover pan, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 60 minutes.

After 1 hour, add potatoes, carrots, stout and bourbon, stirring well. Let simmer for 15 minutes, then add mushrooms.  If the sauce seems too thick, add more beef stock as needed. Simmer 15 minutes more, or until vegetables are tender. Add most of the minced parsley and salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with mashed potatoes, polenta or biscuits. Sprinkle with additional parsley just before serving.

Original recipe, styling, and photography by Danae Horst for Gather and Hunt.