Description
This traditional beef stew recipe is the ultimate comfort food. It is a classic, old fashioned beef stew recipe that is a perfect dinner idea for those cold weather nights in Fall and Winter. This one pot meal will warm the whole fam up.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2.5 pounds of beef stew meat or pot roast (cut into two inch cubes) My grocery store usually has these pre-packaged this way so it's easy for me to use
- 32 ounces of beef stock (1 container)
- 4 carrots, peeled and sliced into roughly half inch circles
- 3 celery stalks, sliced into roughly half inch circles
- 1 yellow onion, medium diced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 and 1/2 pound yukon gold petite potatoes or petite baby red potatoes, whole
- 1/2 cup of Cabernet Sauvignon
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 tablespoons (1 stick) salted butter
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons parsley for garnish
- Optional: loaf of french bread for serving
Instructions
- First chop up the carrot, onion, celery, garlic and parsley.
- Next, add the beef to a large bowl and toss in 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and 1/4 cup of all purpose flour.
- On the stovetop, heat the dutch oven over medium heat. Add the olive oil. Once heated, begin to add the coated beef, in about one pound batches. Do NOT dump in extra flour at the bottom of the beef bowl. Allow each batch to sear, flipping once about 2 minutes in. Each batch should cook for about 5 minutes. Once a nice browning has developed, transfer the batch into a bowl. Complete next batch.
- The dutch oven should be empty, except for brown bits at the bottom. Reduce the heat to medium low. Add the salted butter and remaining 1/4 cup of flour to create a roux. This will create the rich, thick texture for our beef stew. Do not let this burn. Continue to stir until the butter melt and it has a creamy texture. Note: The roux doesn't need to get very dark like in a gumbo. Cook for a few minutes until creamy and combined.
- Now, add the carrots, celery, onion, garlic and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Increase heat to medium. Stir well and cover for 3 to 5 minutes to soften the veggies. If you are worried about it burning, check it every few minutes and give it a stir, or drop your heat to medium low.
- Remove cover and add the wine. Stir it up well with a wooden spoon to de-glaze those brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Add in the beef stock, then the bay leaf, thyme, and remaining pepper.
- Place the drained beef back into the dutch oven. *There will be some juices left in the bowl. I choose not to add them all to my stew, but it is up to you.
- Lastly, add in the potatoes. Give it a good stir and bring to a low boil. Drop the heat to a notch over low.
- Cover and cook for 3 to 4 hours, coming back to the stove to stir every 30 to 45 minutes. If you are getting a lot of boiling action when you open your lid and items sticking to the bottom, drop your heat.
Notes
Top with parsley and serve with crusty french bread.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Category: dinner
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: French