Sometimes you just feel like having a stew. A classic meat-and-potatoes stew that warms you from the inside out. Enter The All-in-One Beef Stew. And by all-in-one, I mean you’ve got your meat and potatoes all in one pot. I don’t think it would be a bad idea to add a bright vinegary salad, but that’s up to you. Start this on a lazy Sunday morning and enjoy it for a lazy Sunday dinner with crusty bread—and for leftovers the next day, because we all know what happens to those flavours when they get to hang out overnight. Don’t let the ingredient list intimidate you. Most items are in your pantry or fridge already.
The All-in-One Beef Stew
Ingredients
Serves 4–6
– 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
– 5 slices thick-cut bacon, sliced in 1-inch pieces
– 2½ lb stewing beef, cut in 2- inch pieces
– 2 tsp kosher salt
– ½ tsp black pepper
– 1 large white onion, chopped in ¼-inch pieces
– 3 tsp grated garlic
– 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped in ½-inch pieces
– 2 stalks celery, chopped in ½-inch pieces
– 1 Tbsp smoked paprika
– 1 tsp cumin
– 1 tsp ground coriander
– 1 cup dry red wine or beer
– One 28 oz can Roma tomatoes
– 3–4 cups chicken or beef stock
– 1½ lb baby potatoes, skin on
– 2 sprigs rosemary
– Sour cream, for serving
– Flat-leaf parsley, for serving
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Put 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the bacon in a cold large Dutch oven. Sauté over medium-high heat until the bacon is crisp. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and reserve the bacon fat in the pot.
3. Pat the beef dry with paper towels and season with the salt and pepper. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pot and add half the beef in one layer. Allow it to sear, undisturbed, for a few minutes on each side, about 10 minutes total, then transfer to a plate. Repeat this process with the second batch of beef, adding a little more oil if needed.
4. Remove the beef with tongs or a slotted spoon, leaving the residual fat and juices in the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and add the onions and garlic and sauté for 2–3 minutes. Add the carrots, celery, paprika, cumin and coriander and cook another 2 minutes.
5. Deglaze the pot with the wine and let it reduce by half. Add the tomatoes (crushing with your hands first) and 3 cups of stock and bring to a simmer. Return the beef and bacon to the pot and cover with a lid. Cook for 3 hours. Add another cup of stock if the liquid reduces too much.
6. After 3 hours, scatter the potatoes and rosemary over the stew— they do not need to be submerged in the liquid. Cover the pot with a lid and cook for 45 minutes.
7. Serve directly from the pot, with sour cream and a sprinkle of parsley.
Excerpted from Conveniently Delicious by Devin Connell Copyright © 2021 Devil Connell. Photography © Louisa Nicolaou. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All
rights reserved.
