Taste of Dublin - Beef and Guinness Casserole at Fitzsimons Restaurant

1 March 2015

At Dublin’s Fitzsimons Restaurant, overlooking the River Liffey in the city’s busy Temple Bar, chef David Lynch and his team serve a pub menu featuring this traditional Irish dish

Ingredients 

For the Beef and Guinness Casserole:

900g prime Irish beef from Donegal
500ml Guinness
3 tbs vegetable oil
60g seasoned flour
1 large turnip
1 head of celery
3 medium carrots
4 medium shallots
3 large sprigs of thyme (finely chopped)
3 large sprigs of rosemary (finely chopped)
1 tbs sage (finely chopped)
1 pint of fresh beef stock 

To serve:
6 large potatoes (mashed)
1 tbs parsley (chopped) 

Steps 

Trim fat from the meat, cut into two-inch cubes and marinate in Guinness overnight

In a small bowl, toss meat in one tablespoon of oil and then in seasoned flour. Heat two tablespoons of oil in a large pot over a high heat. Add the beef to brown on all sides 

Peel and chop the vegetables into thick slices and add to the pot. Cook for two to three minutes. Add the remaining seasoned flour to the pot and cook for a further three to four minutes, stirring frequently 

Slowly add the Guinness and the beef stock to the pot. Bring to a simmer. Add the thyme, rosemary and sage. Pour the contents of the pot into a casserole dish. Stir and adjust seasoning to taste 

Cover the casserole and simmer over a low heat, or in a 150˚C oven, until the meat is tender (approximately two to three hours) 

Garnish the beef with parsley and serve with mashed potato 

History
It’s not clear exactly when and where the first recipe for beef and Guinness casserole originated, but it’s a common pub dish in Ireland and a popular dish on our menu at Fitzsimons. There is a long association between the famous Irish stout Guinness and food. In fact, the first written reference to pairing Guinness with food goes back to 1837, when Benjamin Disraeli (who later became UK prime minister) wrote an entry in his diary mentioning that he had “supped on Guinness and oysters”. Traditionally, Guinness has been associated with shellfish, cheese, puddings and stews. In stews like this one Guinness help to tenderise the meat and, of course, imparts its distinctive malty flavour.