I know I’ve said this a million times, but I really am just a simple Irish lass at heart. I could eat a hearty potato dish pretty much every night of the week. I got the most incredible beef from Organic 5-2 Farms and was inspired to make a traditional beef stew, with direction from my mama. This is what we came up with and it’s so amazing that I promptly wrote up the recipe for you.
This is such an easy hands-off recipe. It would be perfect for entertaining, since it’s cheap, flavorful, and one-pot wonder. Serve with good, crusty bread, European butter, and French grey salt. Divine!
Back to the beef: wow. It melts in your mouth! You just tap it with your spoon and it falls apart. Perfection. As always, I encourage you to support your local farmers for the highest quality ingredients you can find. It makes such a difference in cooking!
You could use beef broth instead of the bouillon cubes but I didn’t have any beef broth and I absolutely loved how this turned out! A tablespoon of balsamic, bay leaves, and really great wine (I used Marl, a Merlot and Syrah blend, from Kuhlman Cellars tonight) transform this dish into a showstopper. Always cook with a wine you want to drink. It’s a myth that you should cook with “bad wine.” Plus the stew is in the oven for three hours, the perfect amount of time to savor a glass (or two!) of your bottle.
I hope you find this recipe as comforting and perfect as I do. Enjoy!
Beef Stew
2 lbs stew meat
2 1/2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
Black pepper
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
2 cups diced yellow onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups water, divided
2 beef bouillon cubes
1 cup red wine
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 bay leaves
2 cups Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1″ cubes
Thyme and rosemary sprigs
2-4 large carrots
Italian parsley for garnish
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Rinse stew meat and pat dry with a paper towel. Toss with 2 1/2 Tbsp flour, salt, and pepper. Brown in 1 Tbsp olive oil in a Dutch oven on the stove over a medium flame, working in batches. Remove to a plate. Lower heat, add 1 Tbsp butter, and cook onion for a few minutes, until translucent. Add garlic and cook for one or two minutes, until fragrant.
- Deglaze pan with two cups of water. Toss in two beef bouillon cubes, one cup of red wine, one tablespoon of balsamic, and remaining two cups of water. Add bay leaves, potatoes, and add the stew meat back in. Tie rosemary and thyme in a bouquet with kitchen twine and add to dutch oven. Put the lid on and pop in the oven for two hours.
- Peel carrots and cut into rounds (or quarter first if they’re huge). Take stew out of the oven, add carrots, then return to the oven for another hour to hour and a half. It’s ready as soon as the potatoes and carrots are fork-tender. Garnish with chopped Italian parsley.
Watch me make it:
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