Hearty Irish Stew

So, this weekend I committed a pretty grave blogger error. I failed to take a picture of the finished dish. I know! Crazy. So you're going to have to imagine the best-looking Irish stew you ever did see.

I decided to suck up to my husband and make one of his favorites, his grandmother's Irish stew. It's classic, hearty fare; no fancy ingredients, just good slow cookin'. FAIR WARNING: We're talking 3 hours of cooking. It's easy, because it's just stirring every once in a while, but you're not going to be eating this within minutes.

First things first, you get your husband to return to his Irish roots and peel some potatoes.

Finally got to use the Le Creuset!!!! Sizzle 3 tablespoons of cooking oil on a high heat...you're going to be doing some searing.

Place the freshly peeled and quartered potatoes in a bowl filled with water, to prevent browning.

Chop up some carrots and onions. I like to keep the onion pieces pretty large.

Salt and pepper your meat chunks; you can use beef or lamb.

I tossed the meat pieces in flour, then dropped them into the sizzling oil. Watch out! It is gonna splash, and be generally nasty.

Work quickly to brown, but not burn, the meat pieces.

Once they're browned, turn the heat down to a simmer and add 3 cups of beef broth. Cover and let simmer for an hour.

Add your veggies, and let the whole mixture simmer for another hour or hour and a half. Add salt/pepper/Worcestershire sauce to taste.

Then serve, and watch it vanish into thin air. Seriously. We had friends over for dinner, and this stew was devoured within minutes. Everyone complimented the tender beef, and I have to say, it was definitely tasty. Perfect Sunday cooking!