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Tender Beef Stew with Melted Onions, Potatoes and Irish Stout

Tuesday, Mar 16, 2010 | Updated 10:00 AM EST

The perfect dish to help you celebrate Saint Patrick's Day

1 ½ Lbs. Beef Stew Meat- 1" cubes or substitute lamb stew meat
¼ Cup Vegetable Oil
3 Cups Onions-sliced thinly
2 Tbsp. Tomato Paste
1 Cup Irish Stout or substitute Dark Beer, or omit
2 Tbsp. Balsamic or Red Vinegar
2 ½ Cups Beef or Chicken Broth-low sodium
2 Cups Potatoes-peeled, cut into ¾" pieces
Salt, Pepper, and Worcestershire to Taste

Pat the meat dry with paper towels. Season all over with salt and black pepper. Heat a wide, heavy bottom stew pot on medium high heat and add half of the vegetable oil. Add only half of the beef and brown well. Repeat with the remaining beef.

In the same pan, add the onions and cook for about 5 minutes until softened and a light golden brown. Add the tomato paste, stirring in well to coat the onions and cook for about 1 minute until a rusty reddish brown color. Add the stout or beer to the pan, scraping up all the browned bits from the bottom of pan. Boil until the stout is reduced by half. Return the browned meat to the pan. Add the vinegar and beef broth. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer gently for 1 ½ hours or until tender. Remove cover, season sauce to taste with salt, pepper and Worcestershire. Serve with seasonal vegetables.