Happy St. Patrick's Day! I love cooking for holidays because it means I make something a little different than I normally do. Our standard fare is corned beef, sauteed cabbage, carrots, and soda bread. It's a must. But I know there are people out there who are not into corned beef and cabbage. So in honor of those people here is an alternative possibility for all your St Patrick's day festivities.
In Georgia, there was this amazing restaurant called Molly MacPherson's that we loved. And I mean loved. Super hardy fare that was so delicious. On one of the few date nights that we got to have we went there and I picked out the Beef Stew. I'm a sucker for beef stew but my husband has never been a big fan. I was so glad that I chose that because it was exactly what I was looking for.
And then my husband spilled his soda into it. He felt really bad but I still ate it after the little hiccup. It was just a little more fizzy then but still tasted good. I still love you babe! Ever since then I have been dreaming of recreating that recipe. There's was made with Guinness but I don't drink and thus don't have any alcohol lying around. I chose to make ours with root beer and we really liked it. It made an incredible sauce that totally knocked it out of the park for this girl. And my kiddos gobbled it up which was a big feat. They are generally wary of all soups/stews. It's pretty simple to throw together and didn't require anything that don't usually have on hand. That's the kind of meal I love!
Root Beer Beef Stew
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 lb cubed beef stew meat
1 med onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
12 oz root beer (or beer if you choose)
3 1/2 cup beef broth
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp paprika
8 new potatoes, quartered or 4 baking potatoes, chopped
4 carrots, sliced diagonally
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
Finely chopped fresh parsely (to garnish)
1 1/2 tsp sugar (omit if using root beer)
Heat oil in large pot (or Dutch oven) over medium-high heat. Season beef. Brown meat on all sides, working in batches if necessary. Remove to plate.
Add onion to pot and reduce heat to low. Cook until softened, about 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and cook for about 1 minute.
Pour in root beer, broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire, paprika. 1/2 tsp kosher salt, pepper, and sugar (only if using beer). Return beef to pot. Simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until meat is tender.
Stir in potatoes and carrots. Simmer until vegetables are tender and meat is falling apart, 30 to 45 minutes.
Remove 1 cup of liquid from pot and slowly whisk in flour. Slowly stir flour mixture back into pot and bring to a slow boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes until thickened. Adjust seasonings as needed. Garnish with fresh parsley.
If you want to make this in the crock pot, brown beef. Add beef and all other ingredients, except flour to crock pot. Cook on low for 10-12 hours, or on high for 4-6. Remove 1 cup of liquid and slowly add flour. Slowly stir four mixture back into crock pot. Cook on high for 15-20 minutes, or until thickened.
