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This recipe was previously published on Robust Recipes. I have updated it for a better user experience. Enjoy.
Hi Friends. Happy March!!!
March means two things for me: 1) Spring is almost, slowly on it’s way. 2) St. Patrick’s Day!!!!!
Both are very, very good things!!!
This traditional Irish stew is a recipe that I made in 2016. It reminded me of the stews I ate in cozy pubs when I was living in Dublin, Ireland. In 2008 I spent a semester of my Junior year of college in a study abroad program. Needless to say, I have been obsessed with anything Irish ever since.
The food I ate while living in Ireland was…interesting. I shared a small flat (AKA apartment) with 3 other girls. Our kitchen only had a mini fridge, and the very basics for kitchen equipment. We didn’t even have a simple frying pan, but we did have a small sauce pot ha!
With that set up, and being busy with school (and traveling), there wasn’t much time left for cooking. So, I ate a lot of super easy cheese tortillas, melted in the microwave, sandwiches, and Tayto potato chips (the BEST potato chips in Ireland!). Most of the time, we ate out.
And Irish cuisine is absolutely delicious!!!
Since Ireland is an island, that also has lots of green grasses, it provides plenty of fresh fish and seafood, while also having a lot of beef and loads of lamb to offer. They have tons of delicious baked goods, hearty breads. Their dairy is exceptional. This is coming from a girl who was raised in Wisconsin.
To this day, I prefer to buy Kerrygold Irish butter, it’s so rich and delicious. I am so glad it is readily available in the U.S. now!
Anyways, since Ireland is often rainy and cold (especially when I was there), they are experts at making meaty, hearty stews to warm you up. This Irish stew is the perfect meal to enjoy on St. Patrick’s Day.
This traditional Irish stew uses tough pieces of meat that are simmered in a beef broth for at least an hour to make the beef super tender. The broth becomes so intensely flavored from all the cooking, it’s thick, almost gravy like. Ireland has a lot of lamb in their cuisine, so, you can either use beef, or lamb in this recipe; either is delicious. The lamb, or beef is accompanied by loads of chunky vegetables. Sweet, tender carrots, celery, meaty mushrooms, soft onion, and starchy potatoes.
It’s simple, yet it packs so much flavor!
I highly recommend baking up a batch of Irish brown soda bread for dipping into the stew. The bread is so easy to make. No rise time, or kneading required. Just, perfection!!!!
My original recipe for Irish stew contained a bottle of Guinness, which is often used in Irish cooking.
The dark stout does add a nice complex flavor, however, it is also very good without it. I left the directions for adding Guinness in the notes of the recipe card below.
Ingredients for traditional Irish stew:
- stew meat – this can be either beef, or lamb. Stew meat is an inexpensive cut of meat that’s tough. Since it cooks for so long it will get nice and tender.
- kosher salt and black pepper
- avocado oil
- onion
- garlic
- butter
- flour – for making a roux to thicken the stew.
- beef broth
- a few springs of thyme (or dried thyme)
- mushrooms
- celery
- carrots
- red potatoes
- parsley, for garnish
The nice thing is that even though the stew takes 1 hour to simmer away, the prep is pretty quick. All the veggies are cut into larger chunks so that as they cook for a longer period of time, they don’t get too soft on us.
How to make Irish stew gluten free:
Omit the Guinness. Yes, beer contains wheat, which contains gluten.
Of course, if you don’t need to avoid gluten, and you drink Guinness, then I recommend adding it.
Also, swap rice flour for the all purpose flour for a gluten free roux.
Easy!
Does my Irish stew really need to simmer for 1 hour?!
Yes.
Most of the time I try to make recipes that take 30 to 45 minutes. And those recipes are delicious, ones we rely on throughout our busy weeks.
Sometimes….
More time = better flavor, and texture.
A lot of traditional Irish cuisine is based off of recipes that use inexpensive ingredients.
Stew meat is generally an inexpensive cut of meat that is very tough (which is why it’s inexpensive). Due to it’s tougher texture, we need to simmer the beef for at least an hour so that it becomes nice and soft and buttery, rather then a tough piece of meat you need to chew for 10 minutes.
The benefit of simmering our beef, or lamb, for so long is that the broth develops a beautiful, rich, meaty flavor that’s reminiscent of a gravy. Who doesn’t want that?
Trust me when I tell you that it’s well worth it!
Does Irish stew make good leftovers?
Absolutely!!!
Like most soups and stews, Irish stew is even better the next day. The flavors meld together and become more pronounced.
This, to me, is a bonus. If I am going to spend an hour cooking something, I 100% want to reap the benefit of not having to cook the next day.
I. LOVE. Leftovers!
I hope you enjoy this Irish stew as much as I do. It is such a special thing to be able to share a recipe that is so close to my heart.
Make this Irish stew for St. Patrick’s day this year.
If there’s one thing I learned from living in Ireland, it is to slow down, don’t rush life. Soak in the little things.
Public transportation in Dublin was NEVER on time. We were always late to our classes and other obligations, and that was the norm. No one minded.
So, take a little extra time, make this Irish stew. Then, cozy up to a piping hot bowl of hearty veggies, meat, and potatoes in a thick broth – so good!
We all need to slow down from time to time. You deserve it.
Slainte!
(Means “health” in Irish. It’s used in place of “Cheers”.)
More Irish & St. Patrick’s Day inspired recipes:
- traditional Irish Shepard’s pie
- Healthy Fish Pie
- Healthy shamrock shake (AKA indulgent smoothie)
- Easy Irish coffee
- Irish brown soda bread (a great side to this stew!)
More Soup recipes for you to love:
- Dairy free zuppa toscana
- the best chicken noodle soup
- chicken tortilla soup with homemade tortilla strips
- wild rice sweet potato soup
- fall turkey pumpkin chili
- the BEST beef chili
- instant pot white chicken chili
When you make this recipe don’t forget to leave a comment down below, along with a star rating. This helps my recipes to be seen by more people, which helps my business and blog to grow. Plus, I love hearing from you. Thanks friends.
PrintTraditional Irish Stew (with Beef or Lamb)
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 mins
- Yield: 6 to 8 1x
- Category: Soup, Entrée, red meat
- Method: sauté, simmer
- Cuisine: gluten free, dairy free, egg free, nut free
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Traditional Irish stew can be made using either beef, or lamb. It’s a hearty stew with tender chunks of meat, carrots, celery, potatoes, and mushrooms. It’s sure to satisfy.
Ingredients
- 1 pound beef, (chuck shoulder, or stew meat – could also use lamb), cut into 1 inch chunks
- salt and pepper
- 1 to 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1 white, or yellow onion, cut into large chunks
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons white rice flour (or sub all purpose flour)
- 3 cups low sodium beef broth (see notes)
- A few sprigs of thyme (or sub 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme)
- 16 ounces mushrooms, washed and quartered
- 4 stalks celery, cut into large chunks
- 5 carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
- 10 red potatoes (2 pounds), cut into big chunks
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- black pepper, to taste
- Fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Prepare: If you stew meat doesn’t already come cut up, cut it at this time. Pat it dry with a paper towel. Season with salt and pepper. Also, chop your onion, and mince the garlic, set aside.
- Sear the meat: Heat a large, heavy-bottomed stew pot, or Dutch oven, with a tight fitting lid, over medium heat. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add 1/3 of the beef chunks to the skillet. Sear the meat for 2 to 3 minutes on one side, flip, and sear for another 1 minute. Remove the beef to another dish. Repeat, until the remaining beef is seared. NOTE: you don’t want to add all the beef at once, otherwise it will overcrowd the pan, and the beef will steam. I seared mine in three batches. Only use the second tablespoon of oil if the pan gets dry.
- Sauté: once all the beef has been seared, and removed from the pan, add the onion and a little kosher salt. Sauté the onions for 3 minutes, or until they begin to look tender. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 more minute.
- Make a roux: Melt the butter and add the rice flour, or all purpose flour, and cook the flour for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the flour looks lightly browned.
- Deglaze: Once the roux has cooked slowly whisk about a 1/2 of a cup of the broth to start with. Then, use a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pan so you get all the beef bits released from the pan. Stir in the remaining broth, along with the beef, and any of it’s juices. Add the thyme sprigs (I like to tie mine into a bundle with kitchen twine to make it easier to fish out later).
- Simmer the beef: Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Cut up remaining veggies: While the beef is simmering you can cut up the remaining veggies as instructed above.
- Simmer the mushrooms: Add the mushrooms into the stew and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the mushrooms have reduced in size.
- Simmer the carrots and celery: Add the carrots and celery and simmer another 10 minutes, with the lid off. NOTE: at this point there won’t look like much liquid compared to the amount of veggies in the stew. Don’t worry, the veggies will release their liquid as they cook and you will end up with the right amount of liquid for a stew-like dish.
- Cook the potatoes: Stir in the salt and pepper, add the potatoes and simmer for another 10 to 12 minutes, covered, or until the potatoes are fork tender.
- Finish: Fish out the thyme leaves, and remove. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.
- Serve: Ladle the stew into serving bowls. Garnish with parsley, if desired. Serve immediately. Store leftovers in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. The stew is even better the next day.
Notes
Lamb: I used beef for this recipe, but lamb would be very delicious. Lamb is very commonly used in Ireland.
Guinness version: It can be very traditional to add a bottle of Guinness beer. I have made it this way, it does add a nice flavor, however, it is delicious without it too. If you decide to add the Guinness, only add 2 cups of beef broth, instead of 3.
Gluten free: To make this recipe gluten free make sure to omit the Guinness, and use all broth instead. Also, make sure to use rice flour for the roux, it works great.
Thicker stew: If you want your stew to be a little bit more on the thicker side then leave the lid off while simmering the mushrooms, to reduce the liquid. You do want to have the lid on when cooking the potatoes to help them to cook faster.
Veggies: I stagger when my veggies enter the stew. I do this because I like my veggies to be tender, but not falling apart. Of course, if you don’t mind that, you can add your carrots and celery in the same time as the mushrooms. I would wait to add the potatoes in at the last 10 to 12 minute mark however, so that they aren’t overcooked.
Anni says
Tho this is a delicious recipe, my only issue is the term ‘traditional’. The reality is that European corn is basically inedible. Sweet corn is distinctly from the Americas. No ‘traditional’ European recipe would have corn as an ingredient, and is still widely thought of as animal feed.
Emily says
Hi, Anni. There is no corn in my recipe for traditional Irish stew. Maybe you meant to comment on my recipe for Traditional Irish Shepherd’s pie? Which, I do include corn in that recipe. If this is the case, then please keep in mind that I never claimed either of these recipes to be 100% historically accurate or “traditional”. However, I did choose to use the word “traditional” in the title of both of my posts because they were very similar to foods that I experienced while I lived in Ireland. Also, not to mention, with how easy it is to get access to many different types of foods and produce these days, sweet corn, especially canned sweet corn, is most likely easy to find almost anywhere. In fact, I specifically remember having sweet corn on many pizzas during my time Ireland, which was never a topping I had on pizza in America, and even in the Midwest, where sweet corn is the best! Thank you for your input on this topic. I hope this helps. 🙂