Beef Stew with Carrots & Potatoes

Last night we had this amazing beef stew. It is perfect for a cold winter’s night and warms you from the inside. It was palate approved by three hungry teens too!

I recently purchased a dutch oven from Canadian Tire. The one thing I realized I was missing when we were well into making Osso Buco. Thank goodness my neighbour, Kendra had one. Oops – not a shiny kitchen moment! Keep an eye on the Canadian Tire website if you need one, I managed to get mine on sale for less than a third of the regular $339 price. It has been really fun finding recipes to use it for and the colour is so fun! Also, comes in a fiery red.

We liked this stew so much the first time we made it, we decided to make it again. We followed this recipe from Once Upon a Chef with Jenn Segal and made a few additions. We decided we wanted to add a few root vegetables and celery to see what it was like. It was really nice and you could certainly do with just carrots and potatoes or add parsnips and turnip. I would definitely add the celery (I love celery in soups and stews!) and the rosemary. Rosemary is one of my favourite herbs and I just love the smell. We found Copper Moon cabernet- a great inexpensive wine – to use for cooking. I think we paid about $9 for it at the liquor store. It keeps in the fridge for a few weeks. We used Italissima Tomato Paste in the tube from Bosa Foods. You may be able to find at Safeway. We used stewing beef and it was delightfully tender. Follow the instructions on browning the meat. It is worth the end result. The vegetables were cooked to perfection. We even had leftovers which I am looking forward to tonight. It will be nice to come home after my evening meeting, quickly heat and serve with a baguette.

One other tip would be to put your flour, sugar and other additions in small bowls so you can have them ready and easily add to the dutch oven as you are cooking. It takes awhile to cook. We were able to take down our Christmas tree while it was cooking and eat a bit later than usual. And no, the hungry teens did not help with the tree 🙂

The stew pairs well with a baguette and wine. I am sure it would be lovely with some red wine. I prefer white so I enjoyed a glass of Edna Valley Chardonnay with it. What is your favourite wine?

Our Additions:

Rosemary 1 tsp dried
Rosemary 3 sprigs
Celery 5 stalks
Dried parsley for garnish
Parsnips 1
Turnip 1/2 medium turnip

Our Substitutions:

Stewing Beef instead of Boneless Beef Chuck

Beef Stew with Carrots & Potatoes

By Jennifer Segal

This classic French beef stew is the ultimate cold weather comfort food. After a few hours in the oven, the meat becomes meltingly tender and enveloped in a rich wine sauce.

Servings: 6

Total Time: 3 Hours 30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

  • 3 pounds boneless beef chuck (well-marbled), cut into 1-1/2-inch pieces
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 medium yellow onions, cut into 1-inch chunks
  • 7 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 1-1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups dry red wine
  • 2 cups beef broth
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons sugar
  • 4 large carrots, peeled and cut into one-inch chunks on a diagonal
  • 1 pound small white boiling potatoes (baby yukons), cut in half
  • Fresh chopped parsley, for serving (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat the oven to 325°F and set a rack in the lower middle position.
  2. Pat the beef dry and season with the salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven or heavy soup pot, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat until hot and shimmering. Brown the meat in 3 batches, turning with tongs, for about 5 minutes per batch; add one tablespoon more oil for each batch. (To sear the meat properly, do not crowd the pan and let the meat develop a nice brown crust before turning with tongs.) Transfer the meat to a large plate and set aside.
  3. Add the onions, garlic and balsamic vinegar; cook, stirring with a wooden spoon and scraping the brown bits from bottom of the pan, for about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for a minute more. Add the beef with its juices back to the pan and sprinkle with the flour. Stir with wooden spoon until the flour is dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the wine, beef broth, water, bay leaf, thyme, and sugar. Stir with a wooden spoon to loosen any brown bits from the bottom of the pan and bring to a boil. Cover the pot with a lid, transfer to the preheated oven, and braise for 2 hours.
  4. Remove the pot from the oven and add the carrots and potatoes. Cover and place back in oven for about an hour more, or until the vegetables are cooked, the broth is thickened, and the meat is tender. Fish out the bay leaf and discard, then taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Serve the stew warm — or let it come to room temperature and then store in the refrigerator overnight or until ready to serve. This stew improves in flavor if made at least 1 day ahead. Reheat, covered, over medium heat or in a 350°F oven. Garnish with fresh parsley, if desired.

Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The stew can be frozen for up to 3 months. Just omit the potatoes because they don’t freeze well. If you’d like, boil some potatoes separately when you defrost the stew and either add them into the stew or serve them on the side. Before serving, defrost the stew in the refrigerator for 24 hours and then reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat until hot.