Beef Stew with "Ghoulish" Mashed Potatoes
Recipes Beef Holidays Main Dish Seasonal cooking Soups and stews
Description
Make this stew in advance so that you have free time to enjoy Halloween too. It will keep in the refrigerator for 3 days or in the freezer for a month. It is the perfect autumn meal, even if you don't pipe the potatoes into ghoulish ghosts.
Ingredients
Beef Stew:
2 T. butter
14 slices bacon, chopped
10½ oz. shallots, left whole
2¼ lb. beef stew meat, cubed
14 oz. mixed wild mushrooms
1 quart (4 c.) Guinness (an Irish dry stout, or beef stock
1 bouquet garni (a bundle of herbs, tied together, used for flavoring stew or soup)
sea salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Ghoulish Mashed Potatoes:
2 lb. potatoes, scrubbed and left unpeeled
4 oz. (1/2 c.) warm milk
2 oz. (1/4 c.) butter
1/4 t. freshly grated nutmeg
salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
16 peas, cooked, for garnish
Directions
Log in to Faxo
Create, share, and connect with millions of people.Continue with Google
Continue with Apple
Use phone or email
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Stew:
Place butter in a skillet over medium heat. Once butter has melted, add bacon, then the shallots; cook until golden brown; transfer to a large baking dish. Add beef to the skillet; season with salt and pepper; cook until completely browned. Transfer to the baking dish. Add mushrooms to the skillet; cook for 2 minutes; season to taste; transfer to the baking dish.
Return the skillet to the stove over medium heat; use a whisk to scrape off all the bits stuck to the bottom of the skillet, where the flavor is. Pour in the Guinness; continue to whisk for another minute to deglaze the pan. Pour the Guinness and pan juices over the beef and vegetables in the baking dish; add the bouquet garni; cover the baking dish; cook in the oven for 2 hours. Check the seasoning; remove the bouquet garni; serve with mashed potatoes.
While the stew is still cooking, about 45 minutes before being done, make the ghoulish potatoes:
Place the potatoes in a saucepan, with the largest ones at the bottom; fill halfway with water; cover the saucepan; place over high heat. When water begins to boil, drain off about half of the water, leaving just enough for the potatoes to steam.
After about 30-40 minutes, depending on potato size, when the potatoes are cooked, peel while holding them in a tea towel; place in a warmed bowl. Mash the potatoes, gradually adding the warm milk; season with nutmeg; add butter; season to taste with salt and pepper.
Place mashed potatoes in large re-sealable plastic bag; cut a 2 inch hole in one corner. Pipe ghost potatoes onto individual servings of stew; pop 2 peas at the top end of the whipped potatoes to look like eyes.
8 servings.