Little John and Robin Hood, walking through the forest…. gettin’ ready to eat some yummy stew. That’s how it goes, right?

It is officially FALL! Who is excited? In August I was not ready for fall at all, but now I am just so excited it’s here. Our weather is starting to get that little bite of cold in the mornings and I just want to cuddle up with some coffee or soup.

Sorry for my little absence. We’ve been getting in the swing of school and soccer and all the things at our house. Anyone else? I don’t know how I’m always so surprised at how busy we are all of a sudden, and yet… I was.

Ok. On to the recipe.

This is a family favorite. Hearty beef stew served over mashed potatoes- you just can’t go wrong. You can also make it with the potatoes mixed in, which seems a little more true to Robin Hood form.

Ingredients:

– 2.5lbs top sirloin cut into pieces or stew beef *I have used both and we prefer to use sirloin strips, but stew beef works perfectly, too!*

– 2+ TBSP olive oil

– Salt and Pepper

– 1/2C to 2/3C flour

– 1 tsp (four cloves) minced garlic

– 1 white onion

– 3-4 strips of bacon, cut into pieces

– 14.9 oz Guinness (I use extra stout!)

– 4TBSP tomato paste

– 3 C beef stock or water + 3TBSP beef bouillon

– 10-20 baby carrots (or 2-3 full sized carrots), chopped

– 2 celery stocks, chopped

– 3 bay leaves

– 1 tsp ground thyme

* You can also add 2-3 chopped potatoes if not serving over mashed potatoes!

Directions:

– Start by putting flour, salt and pepper, and your beef into ziploc bags. Shake to coat your stew super well.

– Heat around 2 TBSP olive oil in the bottom of your large pot over medium heat. Working the steak in batches, brown the steak until all sides are brown and you don’t see anything red/pink.

– When finished with a batch of steak, remove from pot and store on a plate.

*If the bottom of your large pot is coated in burned or cooked bits, add a little water to loose the worst pieces in-between batches of steak. You DO NOT want the bottom of your pot to have burned stuff on it; it will effect the whole soup.*

– If the pot is dry, add a little oil with each new batch.

– When your meat is finished, add another TBSP of olive oil to the pot and add your bacon, onion, and garlic.

– Add your carrots and celery as your onion and garlic look a little brown. Sauté until the bacon appears almost completely cooked, around four minutes or so.

– Add your Guinness, beef stock, tomato paste. Stir well and bring to a boil.

*If adding potatoes, add them now.*

– Return your meat to the pot. Once your stew is bubbling, lower the heat to a simmer and let it simmer for 2-3 hours.

Serve with some yummy mashed potatoes or a roll!

Stay tuned for more ROBIN HOOD fun!