Just In Time For St Patrick's Day - Irish Beef Stew

by Zola Gorgon

Serves 6

1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 pounds beef stewing meat cut into 1-inch cubes
4 cups beef broth
4 Tbl Worcestershire sauce
12 oz gravy (from a jar or you can make it yourself)
1 tsp sugar
6 oz tomato paste
1/2 tsp salt
1-1/2 Tbl dried thyme
4 or 5 large baking potatoes (about 3 lbs), peeled and cut into large cubes
3 cups baby carrots or regular carrots peeled and cut into 1-inch slices
1 large onion cut into chunks
Water, if necessary
Parsley

Get out your large soup pot. Seven- or eight-quart size will do it. Pour in your vegetable oil and put in your meat. Brown the meat on all sides quickly over medium high heat. Stir often to toss the meat around. You're not cooking it all the way through, just lightly browning the outside. (Five to six minutes.)

Pour in the broth, Worcestershire, gravy, sugar, tomato paste, salt and thyme. Stir this all up and bring to a boil. Then turn down to medium low. Let simmer covered for 45 minutes. Stir once in awhile to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom. You'll open the pot and be amazed at how much gravy you have!

Now it's time to peel your potatoes. (If you peel them ahead, they will turn brown.) Add the potatoes, onion and carrots to your pot. Bring to a boil again. You're going to simmer 15 to 30 minutes more until the potatoes are soft but not mushy and the carrots are cooked. If the liquid is not covering everything, you can add up to 2 cups more water and stir it into the gravy. Don't worry. The sauce will thicken up again.

Chopped parsley just adds a little color at the end as a garnish. Serve in soup bowls or other big bowls with some nice bread to soak up the sauce. This is a simple, Irish meal. Don't try to make it fancy. You'll spoil the intention. Comfort food. Enjoy!