Irish Meatball Stew for a Crowd

Happy St. Patricks Day.  I haven't a speck of Irish blood in me but I enjoy a good pot of stew and my nephew married a little Irish girl. ..so that is good enough reason to make some Irish Stew for me.

I put this one together for our pastorate a few weeks ago.  Don't be put off by the task of making a large amount of meatballs.  They can be made a day or two in advance and refrigerated until you are ready to use them.

It will serve 25 - 30 with a salad and some crusty buns.

Meatball Ingredients

• 5 pounds ground beef
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups panko crumbs
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese or other hard cheese
• 1 large onion, minced fine
• 3/4 cup whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon rosemary
• 1 tablespoon thyme
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375 F
2. Combine all the meatball ingredients in a large bowl or a large pot if necessary using your hands.
3. Line two rimmed cookie sheets with parchment paper.
4. Roll meatballs about 1 1/2 inches and lay side by side onto the cookie sheets.
5. Bake for about 20 minutes or until browned.

Stew Ingredients

• 2 large onions, diced
• 2 heaping tablespoons minced garlic
• 24 ounces button mushrooms, quartered
• 5 pounds small potatoes cut into chunks
• 10 large carrots peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 head of celery cut into chunks
• 2 pounds green beans cut into chunks
• 2 cartons beef broth 900 ml size
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon worchestire sauce
• 1 can Guinness beer (you could substitute additional beef broth for the wine and beer but these ingredients make a difference in the complexity of the flavour)
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• fresh ground salt and pepper to taste after it has finished roasting

1. In a very large roaster, layer the vegetables and meatballs.  If you do not have one roaster large enough you can divide it all between two and adjust the roasting time as it will cook faster.
2. Combine the red wine and the cornstarch and set aside until 1 hour before the stew is finished.
3. Combine the remaining ingredients and pour over the top.
4. Bake at 350 covered for about 3 hours. Stir in the cornstarch and red wine and cook one more hour. (Stir it once each hour to  ensure that it roasts evenly.)