Irish Stew with Lamb and Guinness

A warm and cozy meal to share with family and friends for St. Patrick’s Day is the delicious Irish stew with tender lamb, carrots, parsnips, potatoes, peas and Guinness beer.

I look at cooking as a labor of love. And this labor of love takes time to plan and prepare with the result being delicious food. With St. Patrick’s Day only a couple days away, it is ideal to set aside some time for a home cooked meal to share with family and friends. Irish Stew with Lamb and Guinness is the definition of a comfort food.

With people’s busy schedules and the seemingly endless variety of options for dining out, fresh meal delivery services, and prepared meals packaged and waiting at most grocery stores, home cooking seems to be losing its luster. Between working all day, taking kids to countless activities, and keeping up with the daily demands of life, most home cooks are looking for fast, tasty, and premade food to serve to themselves and their families. Spend some time in the kitchen and prepare this delicious and comforting lamb stew.

In about 2 1/2 hours, cubes of lamb shoulder become ultra-tender. It is a favorite in our house. The sauce is rich beefy beer gravy with chunks of carrots, parsnips, potatoes and sweet green peas.

the ingredients

• extra virgin olive oil
• lamb shoulder
• kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• all purpose flour
• onion
• celery
• garlic
• tomato paste
• can of Guinness Draught
• beef stock
• fresh thyme
• carrots
• parsnips
• small potatoes
• frozen green peas

chef cooking tips Irish stew with lamb

• Use the right cut of meat. Lamb shoulder is best for stew instead of leg of lamb which is more suited to grilling or roasting.
• An enameled cast iron Dutch oven is ideal for making stews. It is thicker and heavier than steel pots and therefore conducts and retains heat more effectively.
• Don’t skip searing the meat. This step achieves a nice brown crust on the lamb and adds intense flavor to the stew.

• Guinness beer adds a delicious roasted malty sweetness to the sauce of the stew. I highly encourage using it in the stew. If you would like to substitute a non-alcoholic liquid, try more beef stock or apple cider.
• Start cooking the meat first and then add the vegetables for the last half hour so the vegetables do not get mushy.
• Let the stew simmer slow and low. A great stew needs time to develop the rich flavors and for all the ingredients to be tender
• Serve the steaming hot bowls of stew with a crusty loaf of Irish soda bread for sopping up the velvety gravy. It would be a shame to even waste a drop.

Also, if you make this delicious Guinness stew recipe recipe, I’d love hearing from you. Be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating ~ I do my best to reply to all your comments. And snap a photo to post to Instagram. I’ll add the photos to my Insta stories as I love seeing all your creations.

Irish Stew with Lamb and Guinness

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• Author: amycaseycooks
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 165 minutes
• Total Time: 185 minutes
• Yield: 6 1x

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Description

A warm and cozy meal to share with family and friends for St. Patrick’s Day is the delicious Irish lamb stew with carrots, parsnips, potatoes, peas and Guinness beer.

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Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 pounds lamb shoulder (cut in 2-inch pieces)
• Salt and pepper
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 medium yellow onion (diced)
• 1 stalk of celery (diced)
• 4 garlic cloves (chopped)
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 (14.9 ounce) can of Guinness Draught
• 2 cups beef stock
• 3 springs of fresh thyme
• 2 large carrots (cut on bias in 1-inch pieces)
• 3 medium parsnips (cut on bias in 1-inch pieces)
• 1 pound small potatoes
• 1 cup of frozen green peas

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Instructions

1. Heat a Dutch oven or medium sized stock pot over medium high heat and add 1 tablespoon of
2. olive oil. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the lamb and season with salt and pepper. Shear the meat on all sides until browned or about 5 to 8 minutes.
3. Remove the meat from the pot and place it in a bowl.
4. Add the flour to the browned meat. Toss the meat with a spoon until it is coated with the flour. Set aside.
5. In the same pot, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil, the onion, celery and garlic. Sprinkle with a generous pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper. Sauté the vegetables until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
6. Add the tomato paste and stir to combine with the vegetables. Continue cooking for an additional minute.
7. Add the Guinness, beef stock and thyme springs while stirring and scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pot. Bring to a boil then add the browned lamb meat.
8. Cover the pot, turn the heat down to medium low and simmer the stew for 1 and ½ hours or until the meat is tender.
9. Add the carrots, parsnips and potatoes and stir to combine.
10. Return the cover to the pot and continue simmering for 30 to 35 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
11. Add the peas and stir. Continue simmering until they are heated through.
12. The stew can be served immediately or stored for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. Reheat over medium heat.

Notes

• Use the right cut of meat. Lamb shoulder is best for stew instead of leg of lamb which is more suited to grilling or roasting.
• An enameled cast iron Dutch oven is ideal for making stews. It is thicker and heavier than steel pots and therefore conducts and retains heat more effectively.
• Don’t skip searing the meat. This step achieves a nice brown crust on the lamb and adds intense flavor to the stew.
• Guinness beer adds a delicious roasted malty sweetness to the sauce of the stew. I highly encourage using it in the stew. If you would like to substitute a non-alcoholic liquid, try more beef stock or apple cider.
• Start cooking the meat first and then add the vegetables for the last half hour so the vegetables do not get mushy.
• Let the stew simmer slow and low. A great stew needs time to develop the rich flavors and for all the ingredients to be tender
• Serve the steaming hot bowls of stew with a crusty loaf of Irish soda bread for sopping up the velvety gravy. It would be a shame to even waste a drop.

• Category: entree
• Method: simmer on stove top
• Cuisine: Irish

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1/6 of recipe
• Calories: 507
• Sugar: 7.1 g
• Sodium: 411 mg
• Fat: 16.4 g
• Saturated Fat: 4.8 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
• Trans Fat: 0 g
• Carbohydrates: 35.1 g
• Fiber: 6.7 g
• Protein: 47.7 g
• Cholesterol: 136 mg

Keywords: lamb stew, St. Patrick’s Day recipe, Irish stew with lamb, dinner ideas