For Your St Patrick’s Day Feast

Welcome to Words on Wednesday for March 16, 2016.

Tomorrow is the day that the entire world (or maybe it’s just those of us in the Americas that miss our homeland and try in vain to hold onto anything remotely resembling Old County Traditions) wears green, drinks green beer, and generally goes green crazy. As I am a purebred Scot, I of course embrace this holiday for all it’s worth. In my own way that is. I don’t hold with Leprechaun traps (leave the poor guys alone) and don’t give my kids chocolate gold coins (as IF they need more chocolate in their diet) but I will, and do, make Irish stew and drink a Guinness!

On Monday I mentioned in my video about making colcannon which is mashed potatoes with cabbage and bacon. I know, it sounds a bit weird and when I first read the recipe I was unsure too. But it got rave reviews from my kids … my KIDS people! So it now comes out every year.

Here’s the recipe …

Beer Braised Irish Stew and Colcannon

Ingredients:

Irish Stew:

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 (3 pound) beef chuck roast, trimmed of fat and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup coarsely chopped onion
• 1 cup coarsely chopped carrot
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle dark beer
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Colcannon:

• 3 slices bacon
• 2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 2 cups thinly sliced cabbage
• 1/4 cup milk, warmed
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. Heat the vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until very hot, and brown the meat in 2 batches, stirring to brown the cubes on all sides. Return all the meat to the Dutch oven, sprinkle with flour, and stir lightly to coat the meat with flour. Stir in onion, carrots, dark beer, bay leaves, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, garlic, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring the mixture to a boil, and cover.
3. Place the Dutch oven into the preheated oven, and cook for 45 minutes; uncover, stir the stew, and cook until the beef is very tender and the liquid is reduced by half, about 45 more minutes.
4. Place the bacon in a large, deep skillet, and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain the bacon slices on a paper towel-lined plate. Crumble the bacon and set aside.
5. About 30 minutes before the stew is ready, make the colcannon: Place the potatoes into a large pot and cover with salted water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and allow to steam dry for a minute or two.
6. Place the cabbage into a microwave-safe bowl, and add 1 or 2 tablespoons of water. Cover and microwave on High for about 2 1/2 minutes; uncover (watch out for steam) and stir the cabbage. Cover and microwave for about 2 1/2 more minutes, until the cabbage is slightly tender but not mushy. Drain excess liquid, and set the cabbage aside, covered.
7. Place the potatoes into a large bowl, and add milk, butter, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Beat the potatoes with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Stir in the cabbage, crumbled bacon, and parsley until well combined.
8. To serve, place a scoop of colcannon onto a plate, make a hollow, and fill with braised beef stew.

All in all this takes about 3 hours to make so plan accordingly. And this is not MY recipe. It’s from All Recipes.com and you can find it here. Also a great accompaniment is Irish Soda Bread which you can find by clicking that link.

Oh, and serve it with the rest of the Guinness that you are forced to buy as it is impossible to buy only one can of Guinness, is it not?

Happy St. Patrick’s Day everyone! If you make this tomorrow then let me know how it went.

Also, my Make it Monday crew is working on a special Green blog circle tomorrow so check back then for inspiration on how to scrapbook your Irish feast!

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