Irish Stew

adapted from Allrecipes

The secret ingredient in this stew is the Irish beer. Otherwise, it's just regular beef stew...


2 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb lean stew beef
1 large onion, sliced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup mushrooms
2 cups beef broth
1 can Guinness beer
5 sliced carrots, sliced
2 large potatoes, chopped
2-3 tomatoes
1 parsnip, sliced
1 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp parsley
2 tsp rosemary
bay leaves
salt and pepper

Heat oil in a soup pot over medium high heat. Cook beef chunks until brown on all sides. Add garlic, mushrooms and onions, and saute until cooked through. Then stir in broth and beer, add potatoes, parsnip, tomatoes, carrots and spices and simmer over low heat for about 1 hour. Spoon off fat. If you want a thicker sauce, add 1 Tbsp cornstarch. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.