Lamb Stew with Guinness

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Celebrate St. Paddy's Day - or any day! - with a hearty lamb stew. This rich gravy is made with Guinness beer, and the barley and veggies all compliment the melt-in-your-mouth tender lamb. But, if you're not a fan of lamb, you can make this with beef.

Prep Time: 25 min

Cook time: about 2 hours

Yield: 10 - 12 servings

Ingredients

• 1Kg (about 2 lb) lamb stew meat chunks, cubed

• 1Kg (about 2 lb) Yukon potatoes quartered

• 2 cups carrots roughly chopped

• 1 cup celery thinly sliced

• 2 cups baby Crimini mushrooms, halved

• 1 onion diced

• 4 cloves garlic minced

• 125g hulled barley

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 lb bacon cut into small pieces

• 1 can Guinness beer

• 950mL (about 32 oz) beef broth

• salt and pepper to taste

• fresh thyme, fresh rosemary, fresh sage

Directions

1. Bundle together herbs - approx. 3 sprigs of fresh thyme, 2 sprigs of fresh sage and 10 sprigs of fresh rosemary - tie with kitchen twine. Set aside.

2. Season the lamb with salt and pepper. Lightly brown the meat over high heat with a little oil. Transfer lamb to a plate.

3. Reduce heat to medium, then cook the bacon until crispy (about 5 min). Transfer bacon to a plate, but leave the bacon fat in the pot. NOTE: if there isn't approx. 1/4 cup bacon fat, top up with oil.

4. Whisk in 4 tbsp flour to make a roux. Keep whisking! It could take 10 mins to reach a nice golden colour.

5. Add the full can of Guinness beer. Use a spatula to help unstick bits in the bottom of the pan.

6. Add onion and carrots and sauté until light onions are softened and fragrant (about 2-3 min). Then in goes the garlic. Give it a stir.

7. Now add your beef stock, lamb and bacon. Toss in the herb bundle, a generous sprinkle of salt and 2 bay leaves. Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and allow to simmer for about 1 hour. Stir occasionally to ensure nothing sticks on the bottom.

8. Add in the potatoes and barley at this point. Bring back to a boil and then reduce the heat once more to a simmer. Allow potatoes and barley to cook for about 30 mins.

9. Remember to remove the bay leaves and the herb bundle! Serve hot with a chunk of fresh bread or Yorkshire puddings.