When Irish Eyes Are Smiling

They're probably picturing you naked (that was on a card my mom had when I was younger, still cracks me up everytime Ithink about it)! But seriously, if my Irish eyes are smiling, it's probably because I filled my belly with some amazing Irish food. I hate to brag, but the Beef Braised in Guinness I made last night was probably one of the best things I've made in awhile. The Irish Champ that accompanied it easily was the second best thing. My soda bread was a little off, and the whiskey cake was denser and fruit-cakey than I would have liked (I got a pretty cool picture out of it though). Three out of four though isn't bad, and my guests and hubby really liked everything but the cake.

 

I'm just going to keep this short and sweet since it's past my bedtime. Super simple recipe, very flavorful meat, four very happy people. Enjoy!

Beef Braised in Guinness
Recipe by The Little Book of Irish Family Cooking, adapted by me

1 1/2 lb top sirloin roast
A glug or two of olive oil
10 green onions
 3 large carrots
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 Tbs fresh thyme
1 1/4 cups Guinness (just dump the whole bottle in, but not if you bought the extra stout)

1. Chop the onions and carrots and set aside. In a large pan, sear all sides of the roast in the olive oil. Move the meat to a plate and saute the onions and carrots until slightly browned.
2. Place the veggies into your crock pot then place the beef on top. Add your salt and pepper to taste, thyme, and Guinness.
3. Set the crock to low and cook at least 6 hours. The meat should fall apart when you try to remove it from the pot. 

This is the picture of the cake shortly after it came out of the oven, really the only decent shot I got