Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen

In a twist of fate, serving beef stew in sunny Florida turned out to be just the right thing to do.  With company coming, I wanted to make my Guinness Beef Stew in honor of St. Paddy’s Day but had reservations about serving stew in 80 degree temperatures.  On cue a cold front swept through and temperatures were in the 40’s and 50’s.  We ate this warming stew on the patio wearing sweaters.

My Guinness Beef Stew is best cooked the day ahead so that you can remove the solid fats that come to the top.  This also allows the stew to develop greater flavor.  It incorporates Guinness Stout, Beef broth, carrots, celery, onions and the beef.  Cooked slowly the meat becomes very tender.  I usually serve this with mashed potatoes garnished with buttered breadcrumbs.

Instead of Corned Beef and Cabbage for St. Patrick’s Day, you may want to try this Guinness Beef Stew.  Guinness is an Irish Stout developed by Arthur Guinness in his St. James Brewery in Dublin, Ireland.

We will be heading back to North Carolina over the weekend.  It has been a relaxing 6 weeks in New Smyrna Beach Florida.  We have enjoyed it so much that we will be returning next year.  Finding short term rental properties is challenging in this popular community.  We were lucky to find this charming Spanish styled bungalow for our next visit.  The owners are a delightful couple and we feel honored that they are willing to allow us to rent their vacation home.

GUINNESS BEEF STEW

2 1/2 to 3 lbs chuck roast, cut into large cubes
3 Tbls olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 stalks of celery, chopped
3 large carrots, cut into large rounds
2 to 3 Tbls flour
1 16 oz can Guinness Stout
1 14.5 oz.can beef broth
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. thyme
Salt and Pepper to taste

Dry and salt and pepper the beef cubes.  Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven.  Brown the beef in batches until nicely browned.  Remove beef to plate.  Add the vegetables to the pot and cook over medium heat until softened.  Add the flour and cook for a few minutes.  Return the beef to the pot and pour in the Guinness Stout and the beef broth.  Add the flavorings and bring pot to a boil.  Cover with lid and place in a preheated 325 degree oven.

Braise the stew for 3 to 3 1/2 hours.  It can be served at this point, but it is better to let cool and then place in the refrigerator over night.  Remove the solid fats that have accumulated on the top.  Put the stew back into a preheated 325 degree oven and cook until heated through.  Serve with mashed potatoes or Colcannon.

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This casserole would have been the perfect side dish for St. Patrick’s Day.  Colcannon is an Irish dish which usually contains potatoes and cabbage or kale.  Making it with sweet potatoes and adding a kick of cayenne pepper and bacon elevates it from drab to very interesting indeed.  The original recipe called for pancetta, but I think the bacon does just as well. We had already had our corned beef and cabbage with boiled potatoes and carrots when I found this recipe on the FOOD52 website.  Since corned beef was still on sale, I bought another one and made it along side this and a scrumptious sauerkraut salad.  It was a new take on the St. Paddy’s Day menu.

I am loving my new Staub cookware that I won from FOOD52.  The quality and sturdiness are unsurpassed.  But then I am also sold on the less expensive Lodge cast iron cookware.  My Le Creuset enameled cookware is also put to good use in my kitchen, but the enamel does stain after time no matter how well I clean it.  I would be interested in your thoughts on this matter.  What about copper?

I hate it when I get in the picture.  I loved this shot of my sweet potatoes until I saw my orange glad self in the reflection in the spoon.  Oh well.  The potatoes are still very photogenic and I highly recommend this dish.  Next time I will add even more cayenne pepper.  More bacon too.  Hope you like it as much as I did.  We are packing.  One more week until we return to North Carolina.

SWEET POTATO COLCANNON WITH BACON  (Adapted from FOOD52)

• 1/3pound kale, rinsed well and stripped of coarse stems
• 1 1/2pounds sweet potato, peeled and cut in 1/2-inch cubes
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 slices of bacon, diced and fried until crisp
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1/8teaspoon cayenne powder, plus more as desired
• 1/2cup half-and-half

1. Place kale in salted boiling water for 8 minutes, until tender and bright green. Reserving the boiling water, remove with a slotted spoon, drain well and squeeze out excess water, then chop fine.
2. Boil the sweet potato in the water used for the kale for 15 minutes, covered, or until tender. Drain and pass through a potato ricer or food mill, into a large, heat-proof pot. (Note: If you have neither a ricer nor mill, push potato through a sieve or otherwise be sure to mash thoroughly until smooth.)
3. Add the chopped kale to the sweet potato. Season with salt and pepper to taste, keeping in mind that the inclusion of cayenne and bacon later in the recipe will boost the levels of both salt and spice; be judicious.
4. In a medium skillet over moderate heat, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove using a slotted spoon and let drain on a paper towel.
5. In the same pan you used to cook the bacon, melt the butter. Add onion and cayenne and sauté over medium heat, until onion is translucent and has lost its crunch. Set aside.
6. In a small saucepan, heat half-and-half, then beat it into the sweet potato-kale mixture (I just used a fork, which worked best). Add the bacon. Add the onion and the fat from the pan. Combine all ingredients well, and serve warm.
7. This dish may be prepared in advance. In fact, it tastes even better the next day. Also, try pressing the colcannon into a pie plate and chilling overnight: The next day, cut into wedges and fry up in additional butter or oil to accompany a breakfast of scrambled eggs.

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