Even though I’m from good Irish/English/Scottish/Welsh stock, I never loved Guinness. I would daintily wrinkle my nose and decline. Until…
Magilla and I took a trip to Scotland and Ireland in 2015 for our honeymoon. The first leg of our trip was in Ireland and we spent a couple of days in Dublin. We took a tour of the Guinness Storehouse and this was the definitive moment that I became a fan of this nectar. If you have ever seen the movie Pink Panther with Steve Martin, refer to the scene in which he first has a hamburger and you’ll get the gist of that particular moment.
I drank my glass and Magilla’s glass and I don’t think he was entirely proud of me since it technically wasn’t even 11AM. I made the excuse that the time change from New Jersey to Ireland must be a factor and it was five o’clock somewhere. Therefore my new found and profound fondness of said beverage was justified as an afternoon aperitif. He informed me that I wasn’t very good at the math calculation of time zones; so unless I drank beer for breakfast at home my argument didn’t hold water. In truth I was totally jetlagged and couldn’t think my way out of a paper bag. So, FAIR COMMENT DEAR HUSBAND!
Bless his indulgent, sweet heart.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Guinness
- 3 carrots medium sized. Peeled and diced
- 1 leek Large, washed well and thinly sliced
- 2 parsnips Large - Peeled and diced
- 1 1/2 cups peas thaw if using frozen
- 1 bunch fresh rosemary finely minced
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef you can also use lamb, turkey, leftover steak. Whatever your preference is
- 3/4 cup low sodium beef broth
- 1 tbsp flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 cup extra sharp Cheddar cheese
- 2 cups Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes with Horseradish please see link for full recipe
Instructions
- Prepare the vegetables and herbs
- Brown the meat. Add salt and pepper to taste as you cook. In kitchen matters, I often how would Julia handle this? What would Julia do? Julia would taste along the way
- Preheat oven to 375°
- Remove the meat once fully browned and throw in the carrots and the parsnips. Cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes until softened
- Add the leeks and the rosemary and salt and pepper. Cook for another five minutes
- Add the thawed peas, and then the beef broth and cook down for five to eight minutes
- Add the flour and stir briskly until it coats and incorporates into the mixture
- Add the beef and blend completely. Sprinkle some more flour on top and mix down. A nice gravy should start forming in the bottom of the pan
- Put into a large greased (I use vegetable oil cooking spray) baking dish and top with the mashed potatoes
- Bake for 30 minutes at 375°. Top with cheddar and bake for another 10 minutes
- Let sit for 10 minutes before serving
