Cookin' ATVS Style: Guinness Beef Stew

Folks in Baton Rouge might not realize it, but St. Patrick's Day is actually Monday. For those of you still nursing a hangover from Saturday, here's a thick, hearty, Irish-y dish that'll settle that stomach.

Ingredients

4 lbs beef stew meat, trimmed
4 cups onions, diced
4 Irish potatoes, diced
4 cups carrots, peeled and diced (I used baby carrots for convenience)
3 cloves of garlic, diced (I also added about a tsp of granulated garlic)
2 pint cans Guinness
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon dried or fresh thyme
1 tablespoon dried or fresh rosemary
1/4 cup worcestshire sauce (or to taste)
Salt, pepper or Cajun seasoning to taste

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven.

2. In a large enough bowl, combine the flower with some Cajun seasoning (I said Irish-ISH). Add the meat and toss well to coat.

3. Add the meat to the oil and brown well. Stir to make sure as much of the coated meat browns up.

4. Add the diced onions and cook until translucent. Add the garlic and stir for a moment.

5. Add the potatoes and carrots, stir well and sauté for a few minutes.

6. In a large measuring cup or mixing bowl, properly pour in both cans of Guinness. I use the draught pint cans for this, because they hold the flavor of the dry stout the best. If you've never poured one before, there's a method. Crack the can open and start to pour, but place the can open-side down in the beer as you go. Give what comes out a minute or so to settle, and then slowly pull the can up and let the rest of the beer come out. Give it another minute or two to let the "waterfall" settle and the head to properly form. Once the beer has completely stopped moving, its settled and ready to drink. Or in this case, add to the pot. Repeat with the second can.

7. Bring to a boil and add the thyme, rosemary and worcestshire. Reduce to simmer or about an hour. If you don't have enough liquid to properly cover all the fixins, go ahead and add some water.

8. Taste to check the seasonings of the sauce and season as necessary with salt, pepper, some more worcestshire or Cajun seasoning. Give it another half-hour or so and then the stew's ready to serve.

Serves 10-12, and it halves easily if you have a smaller group.