Stew is a typical Irish dish and this one will help you bring in St. Patrick’s Day nicely!

St. Patrick’s Day: Beef Stew with Dumplings Recipe

St. Patrick’s Day: Beef Stew with Dumplings Recipe

It’s great for entertaining or even as a replacement for your Sunday roast, either way this delicious dish will leave you fully satisfied.

Here’s what you’ll need and how to make it –

Beef Stew with Herby Dumplings

Serves: 12

Ingredients:

4 tbsp sunflower oil

500g shallots or button onions, peeled

1 large onion, sliced

4 carrots, cut into 2.5cm pieces

1 tbsp sugar

65g plain flour

1.5kg grass-fed chuck steak or grass-fed braising steak*, cut into 6-7cm chunks

75g butter

1 litre Irish stout

300ml beef stock

The leaves from 3 large sprigs thyme

4 fresh bay leaves

4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

250g chestnut mushrooms, wiped clean and left whole

250g field mushrooms, wiped clean and thickly sliced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Herby dumplings or mashed potatoes, to serve

Method:

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large, flameproof casserole. Add the shallots or small onions and fry until they are nicely browned all over. Set aside on a plate. Add the onions, carrots and sugar and fry until nicely browned. Set aside with the shallots.

2. Put the flour into a large bowl and season well with salt and pepper. Add the beef and toss together well. Heat another 2 tablespoons of oil in the casserole and fry the beef in batches until nicely browned on all sides. Set each batch aside with the vegetables as it browns.

3. Add 25g of the butter to the casserole and stir in the remaining seasoned flour from the bowl. Gradually stir in the stout, rubbing the base of the pan to release all the caramelised juices. Stir in the stock, followed by the beef and vegetables, thyme leaves, bay leaves, Worcestershire sauce and some seasoning. Bring to the boil, part-cover and leave to simmer very slowly on the top of the stove for 1&12; hours.

4. Melt the remaining butter in a large frying pan, add the mushrooms and fry briskly for 2 minutes. Stir them into the casserole, part-cover, and simmer for another 1 hour until the beef is tender.

Herby Dumplings

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

100g self-raising flour

A large pinch baking powder

¼ tsp salt

50g shredded beef suet

The leaves from 2 sprigs thyme

Approx. 100ml cold water

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and a little pepper into a bowl and stir in the suet and thyme leaves. Stir in enough cold water to make a soft, slightly sticky dough. Using a spoon, divide the dough roughly into 6 pieces and drop onto the top of the simmering stew 25 minutes before the end of cooking. Recover and leave to cook until fluffed up and cooked through. A fine skewer, pushed into centre of a dumpling, should come out clean.

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