This is a perfect dish for a cold autumn day. You can serve this as a stew or take it one step further and use it as the filling for an impressive pie. Do make sure the meat is tender before serving – different cuts of meat will require longer cooking times.
Ingredients
Serves 6
- 30 g plain flour
- 1 kg shoulder of beef, cut into 3 cm chunks
- 1–2 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 1 onion, roughly chopped
- 3 carrots, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 celery sticks, roughly chopped 150 ml beef stock
- 500 ml Guinness
- 400 g baby new potatoes
- 1 bay leaf
- Sea salt and black pepper
- Crusty bread, to serve
Method
- Tip the flour onto a plate and season generously with salt and pepper. Dredge the beef pieces in the flour and then shake off any excess.
- Heat the oil in a casserole over a medium–high heat. Brown the meat in 2 batches, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate.
- Add another drop of oil if you need it and then add the onion, carrots and celery. Fry for 5 minutes before returning the beef pieces to the casserole along with their juices.
- Pour in the stock, Guinness, potatoes and bay leaf and season to taste. Reduce the heat and gently simmer, partially covered with a lid, for 11⁄2 hours, or until the liquid has reduced and the beef is meltingly tender. Serve with crusty bread.
