Time: Crockpot – 11 hours; Stove Top – 4 hours

A friend of mine who is from Ireland told me about her family Irish Stew, and it really peaked my interest. I decided to try a test with my family to see if they’d eat it for breakfast, so I made a revised version of the recipe in my crockpot overnight. We woke up to the most delicious smell of beef, garlic and a hint of horseradish… I served up the bowls and 4 out of 5 of my family liked it for breakfast. If you follow this blog, you can probably figure out which one just wants it for supper! We did get a vote of 5/5 to make it again for supper, too. I am pairing this stew with a tune that used to be popular in the ’70s in Canada as the Irish Rovers lived here.

Music Selection: Irish Rovers – the Unicorn

Ingredients

1 lb beef stew meat, cubed (option: use ground turkey or you can use lamb, cubed)

1 medium onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 carrots, peeled & cut in large chunks  

3 parsnips, peeled & cut in large chunks

4 large (5 medium) potatoes, peeled & cut in 1 inch cubes

2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 Tbsp horseradish (optional) or alternative, Dijon mustard

2 Tbsp dried rosemary

Salt/pepper

Water (6 – 8 cups)

2-3 Tbsp olive oil

Directions

In large pot or crockpot, put a little olive oil on the bottom. Make a layer of the meat, then the chopped onion and garlic. Then place a layer of parsnip, followed by a layer of carrots, and topped with the potatoes. In a bowl, add 4 cups water, Worcestershire, horseradish, and rosemary. Mix and pour over stew. Add additional water until the potatoes are just covered. Salt/pepper to taste.

If cooking on stove top, heat to boil, then cover and simmer for 3.5 hours. If using a crockpot, cover well and cook on low for 8 – 10 hours. When done, take potato masher and mash up the stew into smaller chunks, but leave it chunky. You do not want this pureed. Serve with buttery breakfast biscuits or Quick Cheesy Dill Bread.

Breakfast Tip – I put this in my crockpot overnight and my kids LOVE this for breakfast with a buttered bun on the side!