FunGuy’s Irish Guinness Beef and Mushroom Stew with Mashed Potatoes

Why did the leprechaun empty his pot of gold? So he could make our FunGuy Irish stew, of course! 

This stew is quite the St. Patrick’s day dish with mouth watering fall apart beef chuck roast, bites of tender stewed vegetables, pops of sweet green peas, and a lavish handful of our button mushrooms all simmered in Guinness, Ireland’s famous stout. 

Ladle this rich stew over buttery smooth mashed potatoes, and you have an Irish feast fit for a lucky leprechaun!

DIRECTIONS:

1. Brush off any debris from the FunGuy mushrooms with a damp cloth, trim the stems and cut the mushrooms into quarters. Peel the onion and cut it into wedges. Peel the outside of the carrots and cut them into bite sized pieces. Remove the outside leaves of the cabbage, cut it in half and remove the core and then cut it into small wedges. Peel the potatoes and cut them into cubes and set aside. 
2. Lay the beef on a clean cutting board, pat dry with paper towels, and sprinkle the coarse salt and black pepper on each side of the meat. 
3. Heat half of the oil in a soup pot or dutch oven, over medium high heat. Add the beef to the pot and allow the meat to sear on the outside, making certain to turn to get each side browned. Transfer the beef to a dish and cover to keep warm. 
4. Add the remaining oil to the pot and toss in the onions to cook 1-2 minutes, or until just starting to soften. Add the carrots and mushrooms and cook another 3-5 minutes.
5. Sprinkle the flour into the pot and stir to make a paste in the remaining oil. Keep stirring about 1 minute to cook the flour before pouring in the Guinness and broth, stirring as it’s added in to keep it from clumping. Return the beef to the pot along with the thyme and bay leaves. 
6. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to low so the beef and mushrooms can stew for approximately 1½ – 2 hours, checking occasionally to make sure there is still enough liquid in the stew. If the stew starts to dry out, add water a half cup at a time and stir. At the 2 hour mark, check the beef to see if it falls apart easily when poked by a fork. If it still needs more time, remove the lid, add a little water if needed, and continue to simmer for another 20-30 minutes. Approximately 5 minutes before the stew is ready, add the peas and allow them to cook in the stew. Taste and season with salt if needed. 
7. While the stew simmers, prepare the mashed potatoes. 
8. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add in the potatoes and cook about 15 minutes or until a fork slides easily into the potato. Drain of excess water and return the potatoes to the pot. Mash with a potato masher until smooth and no longer lumpy. Add the butter and mash a bit more until it has melted. Add the milk and stir well to combine. Taste and season with salt as necessary.
9. When the beef is tender and the stew has thickened, turn off the heat. 
10. Spoon some mashed potatoes into a deep dish and ladle the beef and mushroom stew on top. Add fresh parsley on top and serve! 

Have a Fun and Lucky meal!