Guinness Pot Roast with Colcannon brings two Irish classics together in this delicious dish: Guinness stout beer and a traditional Irish potato dish made with cabbage.
While looking over lists of traditional Irish dishes as well as American-Irish dishes, many of the recipes looked to me like they would be really good if they were put together.
Like pot roast simmered in Irish stout plus a side of colcannon. Yep, really good together! A comfort food symphony.
This recipe is more American-Irish, since traditional Irish recipes rely more on lamb, mutton, and pork than on beef.
What is colcannon?
Colcannon is a traditional Irish dish that dates back to the 1700s. The name is derived from the Gaelic words for "white-headed cabbage". It consists of mashed potatoes combined with cabbage or kale.
Some recipes also call for leeks, green onions, and meats. But, in its simplest form, colcannon is just mashed potatoes with cabbage. It's delicious comfort food!
Fun fact: Though Americans may associate colcannon with St. Patrick's Day, in Ireland, it's actually a dish traditionally made at Halloween-time. The tradition includes hiding charms in the colcannon, like coins for children. Sometimes the charm is a ring to predict marriage for the single woman who finds it.
Why you'll love this recipe
The recipe makes a Guinness-braised beef chuck roast by simmering the ingredients together in a slow cooker. It's hearty like a beef stew, but without the veggies and with plenty of Guinness stout beer. It's full of robust flavor.
The colcannon comes together in the last hour of cooking time for the beef. Instead of boiling the potatoes and cabbage, they're oven-roasted for extra flavor.
When the pot roast and Guinness gravy are spooned over fluffy mounds of colcannon, it becomes a hearty meal that all will love. It's literally a real "meat and potatoes" meal!
🔪 How to make this Irish Guinness Pot Roast Recipe With Colcannon
Step 1: Prepare the meat
Add beef chuck roast or pre-cut stew beef, stock, and seasonings to a Crock Pot. Pour in the Guinness beer. Cook everything on low for about 8 hours.
Step 2: Roast the potatoes and cabbage
Slice up the cabbage and potatoes and arrange them on a baking sheet, tossed with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast everything for about 40 minutes until the potatoes are soft.
Step 3: Make the colcannon
Mash the roasted potatoes with butter and milk to a smooth consistency. Mix the roasted cabbage throughout the mashed potatoes.
Step 3: Serve it up
Place a mound of colcannon on a dinner plate, topped with some chopped scallion. Spoon the pot roast and Guinness gravy over the colcannon and enjoy!
How do I cook Guinness Pot Roast in an Instant Pot?
This recipe works beautifully in an Instant Pot! You just need to adjust the amount of liquids, and add them to the pot with the beef and seasonings. The cook time for Guinness Pot Roast in an Instant Pot is about 50 minutes, and you can prepare the colcannon while it cooks. See the recipe card for the Instant Pot option.
What to serve with Guinness Pot Roast and Colcannon
- Irish Brown Bread goes with any meal but is especially tasty with this one because you can use it to sop up the meat drippings on your plate.
- Start the meal with a course of creamy and spicy Curried Parsnip Soup.
- Finish the evening with a mug of Irish coffee, or a warming cup of Maple Gin Hot Toddy.
Once we spooned the pot roast over the colcannon, we ate it up fast — frighteningly fast actually, because it is so savory and satisfying. No good would come of hiding charms in the mash when we're this hungry!
Find the recipe for Guinness Pot Roast With Colcannon below, and here are a few more Irish recipes to try:
💬 What do you think of this recipe? Leave a comment below.
Guinness Pot Roast with Colcannon
Ingredients
Ingredients:
For the Pot Roast:
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 2 pounds stew beef, like chuck or round, cubed
- 24 ounces Guinness Extra Stout Beer (2 12-ounce bottles)
- ½ cup beef stock
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
For the Colcannon:
- 3 pounds yellow potatoes
- ½ head green cabbage
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 tablespoons butter, unsalted, cut into small pieces
- ½ cup milk or half and half
- 2 scallions, tops and ends removed, chopped
Instructions
Prepare the pot roast:
- Have ready a slow cooker. Place 1 tablespoon of the olive oil into the bottom of the slow cooker and spread to coat the bottom. Add in the stew beef.
- Pour the Guinness beer and the stock over the beef.
- Stir in the minced garlic, thyme, brown sugar, the 2 teaspoons of salt and the 1 teaspoon of black pepper.
- Cover the slow cooker and set the heat to low. Cook the beef mixture for about 8 hours until the beef is very tender.
An hour before the beef is done, prepare the veggies:
- Preheat the oven to 400° F. Line a large baking sheet with foil or with parchment paper.
- Cut the green cabbage into strips and place them on half of the baking sheet.
- Pour some of the remaining olive oil over the cabbage and stir to coat the pieces with oil.
- Scrub and peel the potatoes, and cut them into chunks about 1½ inches big.
- Place the cut potatoes on the other half of the baking sheet. Pour the rest of the olive oil over the potatoes and toss them in the oil. Sprinkle the 1 teaspoon of salt and the ½ teaspoon black pepper over the potatoes and cabbage.
Roast and mash:
- Place the baking sheet in the oven to roast the potatoes and cabbage until they're tender: about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the pan from the oven.
- Spoon the potatoes into a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and milk or half and half to the warm potatoes, and stir them in.
- Mash the potatoes until they are relatively smooth - add in a little more milk if the potatoes seem dry.
- Spoon the roasted cabbage into the potatoes. Mix the cabbage throughout the mashed potatoes.
Serve:
- Put a serving of colcannon, about 1½ cups, into the center of each dinner plate. Sprinkle a few pieces of chopped scallion over the colcannon.
- Divide the beef evenly over the top of the colcannon on each plate, with a few spoonfuls of the cooking liquid. Serve immediately!
Make the Guinness Pot Roast in an Instant Pot:
- Put the oil and stew beef into the Instant pot. Reduce the Guinness Stout to ½ cup and the beef stock to ¼ cup. Add in the garlic, spices, and brown sugar.
- Secure the lid, and program the pot to cook for 50 minutes. Release the steam. The beef should be fall apart tender, and ready to serve.
Notes
How do I cook Guinness Pot Roast in an Instant Pot?
This recipe works beautifully in an Instant Pot! You just need to adjust the amount of liquids, and add them to the pot with the beef and seasonings. The cook time for Guinness Pot Roast in an Instant Pot is about 50 minutes, and you can prepare the colcannon while it cooks. See the recipe card for the Instant Pot option.Recipes to serve with Guinness Pot Roast
- Irish Brown Bread goes with any meal but is especially tasty with this one because you can use it to sop up the meat drippings on your plate.
- Start the meal with a course of creamy and spicy Curried Parsnip Soup.
- Finish the evening with a mug of Irish coffee, or a warming cup of Maple Gin Hot Toddy.
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