Beef Stew with Root Vegetables
Submitted by sarah hyland
Beef stew with root vegetables braised slow in red wine until the meat falls apart, then finished with a bright lemon, rosemary, and garlic gremolata. A hearty winter one-pot.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
4 hrsREADY
This is proper cold-weather cooking, the sort of stew you start in the afternoon and forget about until the whole kitchen smells incredible. The beef gets tossed in seasoned flour before it goes in, which does double duty: it helps the meat take on color and quietly thickens the gravy as everything braises.
Onion and a handful of sage start the pot, then in go the parsnips, carrots, butternut squash, and small potatoes along with tomato, a generous pour of red wine, and stock. Lid on, into a low oven, and let time do the work.
There’s no timer to trust here, just the cook’s test: mash a piece of beef against the side of the pot, and when it falls apart, it’s ready. The real flourish comes at the end. A quick scatter of lemon zest, rosemary, and garlic mixed together and showered over the hot stew wakes the whole bowl up the second it hits the heat.
Pro Tips
- Don’t skip the flour dusting; it thickens the sauce as the stew braises, so there’s no need for a cornstarch slurry later.
- Test for doneness by mashing a piece of beef, not by the clock. Tougher cuts may need an extra hour.
- Mix the lemon-rosemary-garlic gremolata fresh and add it right at the table so its fragrance stays sharp.
- Serve with warm crusty bread and a glass of French red to soak up the gravy.
Variations
- Swap in chunks of swede, turnip, or celeriac for the squash and artichokes.
- Use a chuck or shin cut for an even richer, more gelatinous gravy.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat the oven to 160ºC/300ºF/gas 2.
Put a little oil and your knob of butter into an appropriately sized pot or casserole pan.
Add your onion and all the sage leaves and fry for 3 or 4 minutes.
Toss the meat in a little seasoned flour, then add it to the pan with all the vegetables, the tomato purée, wine and stock, and gently stir together.
Season generously with freshly ground black pepper and just a little salt.
Bring to the boil, place a lid on top, then cook in the preheated oven until the meat is tender.
Sometimes this takes 3 hours, sometimes 4 – it depends on what cut of meat you’re using and how fresh it is.
The only way to test is to mash up a piece of meat and if it falls apart easily it’s ready.
Once it’s cooked, you can turn the oven down to about 110°C/225°F/gas ¼ and just hold it there until you’re ready to eat.
The best way to serve this is by ladling big spoonfuls into bowls, accompanied by a glass of French red wine and some really fresh, warmed bread.
Mix the lemon zest, chopped rosemary and garlic together and sprinkle over the stew before eating.
Just the smallest amount will make a world of difference – as soon as it hits the hot stew it will release an amazing fragrance.
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