Recipe for Braised Beef with Irish Brown Beer, Herb Dumplings

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large pot and sauté the shallots, onions, carrots, and sugar until they brown. Set aside.

Place the flour in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add the meat and mix well. Add 2 tablespoons of oil to the pot and brown the beef in several batches. Set aside each batch with the vegetables.

Add 25 g of butter and incorporate the remaining seasoned flour from the bowl. Gradually mix in the strong brown beer and deglaze. Add the broth, the meat, and vegetables, thyme, bay leaves, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, and salt. Bring to a boil, partially cover, and let simmer gently for an hour and a half.

Melt the remaining butter in a large skillet, add the mushrooms and fry over high heat for 2 minutes. Incorporate them into the pot and let simmer for another hour.

For the dumplings, sift the flour, baking powder, salt, and a bit of pepper into a mixing bowl and add the fat and thyme leaves. Add enough cold water to form a slightly sticky ball. Using a spoon, divide the dough into 6 pieces and place them in the pot 25 minutes before the cooking is finished. Replace the lid and let cook until the dumplings have puffed up and are fully cooked. Test for doneness by piercing a dumpling with a thin skewer, which should come out clean.

To finish, you can also serve this dish with Colcannon, a typical Irish recipe made with cabbage and potatoes.