Beef Stew (minus) the Guinness

Irish Beef Stew Recipe
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound stew meat
1/2 cup all purpose flour
Salt and pepper
1 small yellow onion, diced
2 small carrots, diced
4 larger red potatoes cut into small chunks
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
3 cups beef broth
3 bay leaves
Combine the flour, salt, and pepper in a large zipped bag. Add in the stew meat and shake until the flour is coating the meat. Set aside. In a large saucepan, heat one tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat until hot. Add in the onion, carrots, potatoes, and mushrooms and cook until slightly softened, about 10 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Remove the vegetables to a bowl.
Add the other tablespoon of olive oil and heat until shimmering. Add half of the floured stew meat to the pan and let cook for 2 minutes without moving so it can brown. Then stir it around and let it brown on all sides. Repeat with the remaining meat, adding more oil if needed before browning. Pour about 1/2 cup of the broth into the pan and scrape up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Add in the rest of the broth, the can of tomatoes, cooked veggies, beef, and the bay leaves. Let simmer for 2-3 hours or until the veggies are soft and the meat is tender.

This was our Conference evening meal on Sunday, and it was definitely worthy of a repeat performance. I actually made it Saturday afternoon while listening to conference and just heated it through Sunday night - a perfect Sunday afternoon meal! Especially when church gets out at that awkward 2pm really late lunch slot. Excellence achieved with minimal effort = wonderful!