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This cozy slow cooker Guinness Beef Stew is full of hearty veggies and rich flavors. Serve it over horseradish mashed potatoes for the ultimate comfort food.
This cozy slow cooker Guinness Beef Stew is full of hearty veggies and rich flavors. Serve it over horseradish mashed potatoes for the ultimate comfort food.
I’m down with the Instant Pot hype. But in this house, Sundays are for slow cookers. Some things just don’t belong on fast forward, and this belly-warming Guinness beef stew is one of them. It’s all about letting the cozy aroma fill your home on a slowly paced afternoon with this one.
It’s hard to believe that my love for stouts unfolded just a few years ago! Today, a good stout or porter is my ale of choice during the cooler months; there’s just something comforting about those rich and toasty notes. And as luck would have it, these dark ales work really well with comfort food.
Cooking with Guinness.
This famous Irish stout lends itself in recipes both sweet and savory. When cooking, I like to swap out the usual wine for a good ale every now and then—and ditching the red wine for a hearty stout made sense when planning this robust beef stew. Not to mention, it pairs wonderfully with a pint of Guinny in the end :)
The perfect beef stew ingredients.
There are *so* many varieties of beef and veggies you can throw into your slow cooker in order to make a bangin’ stew. Here are some of the ingredients I swear by, as well as some ways you can improvise.
Beef. When it comes to beef, I’m all about hitting up my butcher to get quality cuts while supporting local farms. A good boneless beef chuck is the way to go. The round can also make a great stew, but chuck has collagen-rich connective tissue which melts into the meat and releases gelatin, resulting in a full-bodied stew and an almost creamy mouthfeel. These cuts, however, need to simmer for hours at a low temperature so all of that good stuff breaks down properly. But when the meat just melts in your mouth, it’s totally worth the wait. This is why in my mind, the slow cooker is the only way to go.
Root vegetables. I don’t think I’ve ever met a stew that didn’t have carrots. Besides carrots, I like to add turnips, rutabaga, celery root, or parsnips. Of course potatoes are always welcome in a stew, but I like to serve this stew over mashed potatoes, so I skip them.
Other veggies. A rustic stew doesn’t have to stop at the root veg. Onions are an important addition because onions bring tons of flavor; you can use any variety, from shallots to a sweet onion. Additionally, mushrooms are perfect because they’re meaty and soak up all of those glorious flavors. You can also throw in some squash, green beans, or even peas!
Fresh herbs. Fresh herbs are a must. Thyme, rosemary, sage, and bay leaves are among the more popular stewing herbs because of their deep flavors.
Horseradish Mashed Potatoes.
This is simple. You’re going to make mashed potatoes like you normally would, except you’re going to stir a few heaping tablespoons of prepared horseradish into them because why the hell wouldn’t you. Okay, I kid. If you’re not a horseradish nut like we are in this house, you can serve this beauty stew over regular ol’ mash. But if you love the pungency of horseradish, you will absolutely love the addition of it in this recipe.
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Cozy Guinness Beef Stew with Horseradish Mashed Potatoes
Equipment
Ingredients
Guinness beef stew.
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 lbs boneless beef chuck, cut into 2-inch pieces
- Kosher salt and cracked black pepper, to taste
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2 cups Guinness, room temperature
- 3 TBSP tomato paste
- 4 cloves of garlic, smashed and sliced
- 4 large shallots, thinly sliced, Or sliced a red onion into bite-sized wedges
- 2 large carrots, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 large turnip, peeled and cubed
- 8 oz cremini or baby bella mushrooms, quartered
- Handful of sprigs of fresh thyme
Horseradish mashed potatoes.
- 4 lbs yukon gold potatoes, washed and peeled
- 3 tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup full fat milk
- 4 TBSP butter
- 1/2 cup cream cheese
- 3 TBSP prepared horseradish
Instructions
Guinness beef stew.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Season the chuck with a generous amount of salt and pepper, then toss it in flour. Once the oil in the skillet is hot and shimmering, place the chuck into the skillet to give it a quick sear, about 2-3 minutes. Don't fully cook the beef. We just want a nice crust on the outside. When done, transfer the beef to the slow cooker; put the skillet back on the stove.
- Pour 1 cup of beef broth and 1 cup of Guinness into the skillet. Bring to a simmer, and add the tomato paste. Deglaze the pan by scraping the bits left behind from the beef. Simmer for about 5 minutes, then transfer the liquid to the slow cooker.
- Add the garlic, shallots, carrots, turnip, mushrooms, and thyme sprigs to the slow cooker. Give everything a good toss, then add the remainder of the beef broth and Guinness. Cover, and cook on low for 7-8 hours. If cooking on high, only cook for 3-4 hours.
Horseradish mashed potatoes.
- Peel the potatoes and cut into quarters. Place them into a large stock pot and cover with salted water. Bring the potatoes to a rolling boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are fork tender.
- Drain the potatoes and return them to the hot pan. Bring the heat to low and simmer the potatoes until all of the moisture has evaporated—about 1-2 minutes.
- For ultra smooth potatoes, run them through a food mill or ricer. Otherwise, mash them with a hand held potato masher until potatoes are smooth. Set aside.
- Heat the milk and butter together in a small saucepan or in the microwave until the butter is melted. Slowly stir the warm milk into the potatoes and mix until absorbed and creamy. Stir in the cream cheese, 1/2 tsp salt, and finally, the horseradish. Taste and season with additional salt and horseradish if needed, and cracked black pepper if you wish.
- To serve, plate mashed potatoes and spoon Guinness beef stew over top. This meal pairs perfectly with a pint of Guinness :)
