Guinness Beef Stew with Cheddar Herb Dumplings (Recipe 8 of 125)

Photo from HostTheToast

Winter is very much soup and stew season to me. And I love the smell of the house when a stew is on
the stove for several hours. 

This was a delicious stew. I got a little heavy handed with the salt, but it was still fantastic. It's a basic stew recipe with all the basic elements. The main difference is the Guinness. 

Looking at the recipe I thought I had followed it to a T but turns out I used beef broth instead of chicken broth. Which, personally, I don't think made a bit of difference. Just a more beefy flavor. 

I also didn't make the dumplings. I had all the ingredients to make Bisquick Cheddar drop biscuits, so I made those. 

I also ended up using some cornstarch at the end to get it to thicken up. I like a thick stew, so I felt it needed it. 

Guinness Beef Stew with Cheddar Herb Dumplings
Recipe from HostTheToast

Serves 4

For the Stew:

• ¼ pound bacon
• 2 pounds boneless beef chuck, chopped into bite-sized pieces
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• 4 sticks celery, chopped
• 3 large carrots, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 large potatoes or parsnips, diced
• 1 turnip, diced
• 3 ounces tomato paste
• 1 (12 ounce) bottle Guinness
• 4 c low sodium chicken broth
• 2 T Worcestershire sauce
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 sprigs thyme
• 1 T cornstarch, or as needed
• ½ pound cremini mushrooms, sliced (optional)
• Chopped parsley

For the Cheddar Herb Dumplings:

• 1 ½ c self-rising flour
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ⅓ c shortening
• ¾ c shredded Irish sharp cheddar
• ⅔ c milk
• 2 T mixed fresh herbs such as parsley, chives, and thyme, chopped

Cook the bacon in a large, oven-safe, heavy-based pot or high-walled saute pan over medium heat.

Remove the bacon, crumble, and set aside, but leave the bacon fat in the pot. Season the beef with salt and pepper and fry in the bacon fat until browned on all sides. Remove the beef from the pan and set aside.

In the same pot, fry the onion, celery, and carrots until soft and fragrant, adding a little oil if necessary.

Add garlic and fry for another 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato paste.

Pour in the Guinness and Worcestershire sauce. Allow to come to a simmer and stir with a wooden spoon, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot.

Add the beef back to the pot and pour in the chicken broth. Add the bay leaf and thyme.

Reduce to a simmer and cover. Simmer for 1½ hours. Add the potatoes or parsnips and the turnip. Simmer for another ½ hour, or until the vegetables are tender.

Remove the bay leaf and thyme branches. If the stew is still thin, mix a tablespoon of cornstarch with a tablespoon of cold water to form a slurry. Mix the slurry into the stew and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce to a simmer again, stirring occasionally, and add in the mushrooms if desired. Cook for 10 minutes, uncovered, until the stew thickens and the mushrooms are cooked through. Stir the bacon back in. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Stir together the self-rising flour and garlic powder in a medium bowl. Cut in the shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the cheddar cheese, then add the milk and stir until the dry ingredients are moistened.

Make small balls with the dough and place them on top of the stew, leaving them room to expand-- they grow a lot as they cook. Place the stew in the oven uncovered and bake until the dumplings are browned and cooked through, about 30 to 40 minutes.

Garnish the stew with parsley and serve.