Community Cookbook: Keg and Lantern’s Irish Stew

It’s St. Patrick’s Day, and Greenpoint brewery and taproom Keg and Lantern (97 Nassau Ave.) is a great place to celebrate. The local pub, which recently debuted a new location at 104 South 4th Street, is serving up its hearty Irish Stew for the occasion.

As luck would have it, Keg and Lantern has shared their recipe for Irish Stew with beef, which you can find below. See last week’s Community Cookbook recipe here.

Keg and Lantern’s Irish Stew

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 pounds well-marbled chuck beef stew meat, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks 

• 3 teaspoons salt, or to taste 

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 

• 6 garlic cloves, minced 

• 4 cups beef stock 

• 2 cups water 

• 1 cup Old Irish Stout (Keg & Lantern) or Guinness

• 1 cup hearty red wine 

• 2 tablespoons tomato paste 

• 1 tablespoon sugar 

• 1 tablespoon dried thyme 

• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 

• 2 bay leaves 

• 2 tablespoons butter 

• 3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 7 cups) 

• 1 large onion, chopped (1 1/2 to 2 cups) 

• 3 to 4 carrots or parsnips, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (2 cups) 

• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. First, brown the beef. To start, sprinkle about a teaspoon of salt over the beef pieces. 
2. Heat the olive oil in a large (6 to 8 quart), thick-bottomed pot over medium-high heat.
3. Pat the beef dry with paper towels.
4. Working in batches, add the beef to the pot. (Do not crowd the pot or the meat will steam and not brown) 
5. Cook the beef without stirring, until well browned on one side, then use tongs to turn the pieces over and brown on another side.
6. Add garlic to the pot with the beef and sauté 30 seconds or until fragrant. 
7. Add the beef stock, water, Old Irish stout, red wine, tomato paste, sugar, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, and bay leaves. Stir to combine. 
8. Bring mixture to a simmer. Reduce heat to the lowest setting, then cover and cook at a bare simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
9. While the the pot of meat and stock is simmering, melt the butter in another pot over medium heat, and add the onions and carrots. 
10. Sauté the onions and carrots until the onions are golden, about 15 minutes. 
11. Set aside until the beef stew has simmered for one hour.
12. Add the onions, carrots, and the potatoes to the beef stew pot.
13. Add black pepper and two teaspoons of salt. 
14. Simmer uncovered until vegetables and beef are very tender, about 40 minutes.  
15. Discard the bay leaves. 
16. Tilt pan and spoon off any excess fat.

To serve alongside mashed potatoes as Keg and Lantern does:

Place mashed potatoes in the middle of the bowl and top with the stew. Sprinkle it with salt, pepper and parsley and serve.