Meaty, savory and loaded with vegetables, this hearty Guinness Stout Irish Lamb Stew is a delicious comfort food that's welcome on St. Patrick's Day or any other day.
In a large dutch oven, brown the chopped bacon over medium high heat. Transfer crisped bacon to a paper towel lined dish. Set aside.
In two or three batches, brown lamb in dutch oven, using bacon fat to sear the meat. Use tongs to turn the chunks of lamb over and brown all sides.
Add all the lamb back to the pot and stir in the leeks, celery onion, parsnips and carrots. Cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes until vegetables begin to soften. Stir in the potatoes.
Tie the thyme bundle with a kitchen string and add to the pot. Add rosemary bay leaves, 1 cup of broth and 1 bottle of stout. Heat just to boiling, place the lid tightly on the pot and transfer to the oven. Braise for 1 1/2 hours. Add the pearl onions and braise for an additional hour.
Remove the stew from the oven. Let the lamb stew cool to room temperature and refrigerate overnight.
The next day, scoop any solid fats from the stew and discard.
Place the stew over medium heat to warm through. Stir in the remaining beef broth and Guinness stout, heat just to boiling.
While the lamb stew is reheating, combine the flour and butter in a small bowl. Mash together with the back of a fork to form a paste (aka beurre marnier). Once stew is simmering briskly, stir in the butter mixture until it dissolves in the stew and the stew thickens.
Stir in the browning sauce, if using. Add frozen peas and parsley and stir to combine. The heat from the stew will thaw the peas. Serve.
Notes
Note: You can top the stew with the reserved bacon that was rendered on the first day. (I would have done that, but my husband found the reserves -- and you guessed it -- he ate them).