Guinness Beef Stew

Not sure why it's taken me so long to put this one up. I've been making it for years and it's a staple in the Saul household. Beef stews are made a million different ways - I much prefer Guinness over red wine (sorry Julia) and have to have the potatoes IN the stew...contrary to how my husband's family eats it back in Ireland: steamed potatoes peeled and buttered on the side.

2 lbs beef chuck/stew meat, cut into big bite sized pieces (they'll shrink)
1/2 cup flour, divided
1/4 cup olive oil, divided
2 tbsp butter, divided
3 carrots chopped
3 celery ribs chopped
1 large onion
4 cloves of garlic
5 sprigs of time (either tied with twine and fished out later or trimmed)
2 tbsp tomato paste
1.5 cans of Guinness (drink the other half - bonus!)
~3/4 of a 14oz can of crushed tomato or tomato sauce
~4 medium sized yukon gold potatoes, chopped to bite size
Salt and pepper

1. Divide the beef into two batches (make sure that the beef is dry and not juicy, dry it with a few paper towels if needed). Generously salt and pepper the beef and dredge half in flour.

2. Heat a large dutch oven to medium high heat and add enough olive oil and 1 tbsp butter to coat the pan. Add half of the beef and cook until browned on all sides. Remove from the pot, add a little more oil and cook the other half of the beef. Set aside.

3. Add a little more oil to the pan if needed. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and thyme and cook until softened, about 10 mins. Add the garlic and a bit of salt and pepper.

4. Push the veggies aside and add the tomato paste. Cook for a couple of minutes and mix into the veggies.

5. Add the Guinness and scrape up all brown bits on the bottom of the pot. Add the tomato and potatoes and bring to a simmer. Turn heat to low and simmer covered for at least two hours or until the beef is very tender. Stir occasionally to check the temp and avoid stew caking on the bottom of the pot. The stew will start out runny and thicken as you cook.

Over the Top Potato (and Cauliflower) Soup

My husband is Irish. He loves potatoes. He likes them boiled whole, in their skins. He likes them served on a side plate and he carefully peels the skins and eats them like they're chocolate. I definitely don't love potatoes as much as he does. I do try to make an effort to make them, but it often means mashed, fried, hassleback, or, SOUP. And, par for the course, this potato soup has some extra ingredients that jazz up the potato quite a bit. So much so that this soup got Paddy's ultimate 5-star rating of "Spectacular Bacular!"

*This recipe calls for bacon. I'm very sorry for those of you who do/cannot eat bacon for this is the most important ingredient of this soup. Thick cut is best. Note the two options in #1. I always keep a ramekin of bacon fat in my fridge and use it instead of oil or butter when the occasion calls for it. Great for added flavor in this soup and makes for some really yummy eggs. Obviously, not the best option for daily cooking :)

1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
2 russet potatoes, peeled, diced
32 oz chicken broth
A few sprigs of thyme
2 bay leaves
1 cup milk
2 tbsp flour
1/2 head of cauliflower florets
1/4 cup sour cream
3 slices of bacon
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Bunch of chives, finely chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 450. Line a cookie sheet with foil.

2. Cook the bacon a large dutch oven. Remove and leave at least 2 tbsp bacon fat in the pan. Alternatively, you can skip this step but use bacon fat instead of oil to fry the veggies. Add the onion, garlic, carrots, celery, and potatoes to the pot and let soften for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Mix the cauliflower florets with a bit of olive oil and salt. Place on the cookie sheet and bake in the oven for 30 mins or until lightly browned.

4. Add the chicken broth to the pot with the thyme and bay leaf. It should just cover the veggies, add more if needed. Bring to a boil and then turn it down to medium to simmer.

5. Mix the milk and the flour in a small bowl and add to the pot. Stir well.

6. When cauliflower is done, remove from oven and place in a blender with about 3/4 of the soup. Be careful not to fill your blender to high and use a towel instead of the cover. Blend until smooth.

7. Add the blended soup back into the pot with the chunky soup, add the sour cream and mix well.

8. Serve with a pile of bacon, shredded cheddar, and chives on top.

Paddy-Approved Shepard's Pie

You'd think that with a very hungry Irish boyfriend I would have made this a long time ago. But I just tried it a few weeks ago and it was officially approved. A very easy meal to make and so good on a snowy winter day like today - we've got more than a foot and it's still falling!

~1.5 lbs of ground beef (1 package makes enough for about 4 people) - I like using sirloin
1/2 large onion - diced
1 celery stalk - diced small
1 carrot - diced small
3 cloves minced garlic
1 cup beef broth + a little more if needed
2-3 tbsp flour
2-3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp steak sauce if you have it (like HP or A1)
4 yukon gold potatoes
1 leek - just the white sliced thinly
1 cup frozen peas
Grated chedder &/or mix of mexican shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 375

1. Chop the potatoes into quarters and boil with lots of salt until a fork is easily inserted.
2. Drain the water and mash the potatoes.
3. Add 3/4 cup of milk and 2-3 pats butter (add more milk to make a little smoother but not soupy! - you want to be able to spread them on top of the meat later). Keep potatoes covered.

4. Saute the beef in a little olive oil over medium heat. Stir frequently and make sure to mash the beef into small bits. Once just cooked through, remove from pan and set aside in a bowl.

5. In the same pan, (add a little more olive oil if you need to but there should also be some juice from the meat) saute the onion, celery, carrot, and garlic over medium high until the onion is translucent and other veggies soften.
6. Add the meat back into the pan with veggies and season with lots of salt and pepper.
7. Add a tiny bit of steak sauce if you have it and keep on low/med low heat.

8. In a saucepan, melt 3-4 pats of butter.
9. Add the flour and stir until it forms a roux/paste.
10. Add the beef broth and turn the heat to medium high. Stir/whisk until it becomes a medium thick gravy.
11. Add salt and pepper and Worcestershire sauce.

12. Pour the gravy into the meat mixture and stir together.
13. Add the peas. Keep the meat mixture on medium.

14. In the empty gravy saucepan, add a little more olive oil, a few more pats of butter and the leek. Saute until very tender (~5-10 min).
15. Pour into the mashed potatoes and mix well.

16. Pour the meat mixture into a large baking dish. Spread the mashed potatoes on top (don't be afraid to use your hands!) and top with a thin layer of shredded cheese.
17. Bake in the oven until the cheese is melted and/or a little browned.

Bake until cheese is melted and potatoes are a bit crusty.

YUMMMM!!!!