Beef Stew with Carrots & Potatoes

Ingredients

• Beef chuck

  Arm pot roast, separable lean and fat, trimmed to 1/8" fat, choice, raw

  3 lb or 1.36kg

• Salt

  Table

  2 tsp or 12g

• Pepper

  Spices, black

  1 tsp or 2g

• Olive oil

  Salad or cooking

  1 tbsp or 14g

• Onions

  Raw

  1 ½ medium or 165g

• Garlic

  Raw

  7 cloves, minced or 21g

• Balsamic vinegar

  2 tbsp or 32g

• Tomato paste

  Canned, without salt added

  1 ½ tsp or 8g

• Wheat flour

  White, cake, enriched

  ¼ cup unsifted, dipped or 34g

• Red wine

  Alcoholic beverage, table

  8 fl oz or 235g

• Beef broth soup

  Canned, condensed, bouillon and consomme

  2 cup or 496g

• Water

  Plain, clean water

  2 cup or 473g

• Bay

  Castella

  1g

• Thyme

  Spices, dried

  ½ tsp, leaves or 0.5g

• Sugar

  White, granulated sugar

  1 tsp or 4g

• Carrots

  Raw

  4 large or 288g

• Potato

  Flesh and skin, raw

  350g

• Parsley

  Raw

  10g

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325F 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 350F oven. Garnish with fresh parsley, if desired.
5. 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.

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