Guinness Lamb Stew

🧂 Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

  plus ¼ cup more if needed
• 2 pounds lamb shoulder

  cut into 1- to 2-inch pieces
• Salt and pepper
• ½ pound bacon

  chopped into 1-inch pieces
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 yellow onion

  chopped
• 4 large carrots

  peeled and cut diagonally into 2-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 4 garlic cloves

  grated or minced
• 1 (12-ounce) Guinness bottle
• 5 cups beef stock
• 3 fresh rosemary sprigs
• 10 fresh thyme sprigs
• 3 fresh sage sprigs
• 2 dried bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 pound baby white potatoes

  quartered
• ¾ cup pearl barley

  not hulled barley
• Fresh chopped parlsey

  for garnish, optional

Instructions

• 1 Heat oil on medium-high heat in a large stock pot. Sprinkle the lamb with salt
  and pepper. When the oil is hot and shimmering, add half the lamb and cook just
  until browned on one side. Flip and repeat on the other side. Remove the lamb
  and reserve on a plate. Repeat with the second half of the lamb.
• 2 Turn the heat down to medium. Add bacon and cook until the fat renders and the
  bacon browns. Remove the browned bacon. Measure the bacon fat that rendered. If
  you don't have ¼ cup, add enough oil to make ¼ cup and add back to the pot.
• 3 Whisk in the flour. This is our roux. Continuously whisk the roux until it turns
  a light brown color, about 10 minutes.
• 4 Stir in the onions, carrots and tomato paste. Cook until the onions soften,
  about four to five minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, stirring
  constantly. (If you prefer more tender-crisp carrots versus soft carrots, you
  can wait to add them in step 7 with the potatoes.)
• 5 Pour in the Guinness, scraping at the brown bits on the bottom of the pot to
  loosen. Now pour in the beef stock. Add the lamb and bacon back to the pot. Tie
  the fresh herbs with kitchen twine and add those, the bay leaves and salt as
  well.
• 6 Bring the liquid to a boil. Cover and turn the heat down to maintain a simmer.
  Continue to simmer for an hour. Stir occasionally.
• 7 Add the potatoes and cook for 15 minutes. Now add the barley. Bring to a boil
  again and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook until the potatoes and barley
  are soft, about 30 minutes.
• 8 Remove the herbs and bay leaves. If desired, garnish with chopped fresh parsley.
  Enjoy!

Nutrition Info