cooking challenge week eleven: rich beef and guinness stew with creamy colcannon (st patrick's day!)

As you know, I'm new to the meat thing so this is my first stew/casserole.

You will need:

For the Stew-

500g Shin (gravy) beef. Ask your butcher to dice it for you.

1.5 cups good quality beef stock

1.5 cups Guinness

1/4 cup Olive Oil

4 tablespoons flour

3 carrots, peeled and cubed into chunky squares

6 sprigs thyme

1 onion

4 cloves garlic

2 dried bay leaves

1/4 cup sliced flat leaf parsley

For the Colcannon

2 good size potatoes

1 cup (loosely packed) sliced Savoy cabbage

1/4 cup green shallots, sliced finely

1 clove garlic

1.5 cups milk

80g butter

What to do:

Preheat oven to 180'c.

Coat your beef pieces loosely in flour. Shake off any excess. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a saucepan and fry the beef off in batches, adding more oil as required. Once the beef is browned, set aside.

Slice the onion and garlic and fry them in the oil with the diced carrtots (use the same pan as you used for the beef). Once the onion is softened, but not browned, turn the heat up to high and add the Guinnes and Beef stock, as well as the thyme and bay leaves. Bring to the boil.

Combine the beef with the stock mixture in a large oven proof dish and bake for approximately 2 hours. Prior to serving, mix the finely sliced flat leaf parsley through for a spot of colour.

When you are almost ready to serve, make the Colcannon.

Peel and cube your potato and put them in a saucepan with water. Bring to the boil and cook until tender. Strain, then return to the saucepan and mash until fluffy.

In a frying pan, heat the butter until it liquifies then fry off the cabbage, garlic and shallots. Stir over moderate heat until the cabbage is softened. Mix the cabbage mix and milk through the potatoes and stir over low heat until combined. Season as required.

I've just reheated leftovers for next day lunch and it looks even yummier today than last night. Next time, though, I think I might add bacon to the casserole.