This is THE BEST beef stew ever! (Photo to come.) After Gideon was born, a friend brought us this stew, and it has been my go-to recipe for stew and for roast. I make the roast the same way, only browning the roast instead of stew meat and then pour the sauce on top, then cook it in the crockpot.
WHAT YOU NEED:
2 lb. beef stew meat
1 pkg. onion soup mix
1 medium bag baby carrots
1 large white onion
1 quart beef stock
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 pkg. sliced baby Bella mushrooms
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup milk
5 lbs. red potatoes, cut up
1 pint sour cream
1 stick butter
dash of milk
chives, to taste
WHAT YOU DO:
In soup pot brown beef with oil (salt and pepper are optional), then set aside. In she pot sauce onions and mushrooms until onions are clear and mushrooms are cooked (3–5 minutes). Add Worcestershire sauce and balsamic vinegar; sauce for an additional 2 minutes then add beef stock, beef, onion soup mix, and carrots. Bring to boil, add lid, reduce heart and simmer for 1 1/2–2 hours (to tenderize beef). Meanwhile, cut potatoes and bring another pot of water to boil to make mashed potatoes. Add potatoes to pot of water and boil until tender and able to be mashed. Remove potatoes from water and place in large bowl with sour cream, butter, milk, and chives. Mash. When stew is finished, remove lid, turn off heat and mix cornstarch and milk together, then add to stew and stir well to thicken sauce. Serve over mashed potatoes
NOTES:
- I use whole carrots and peel and cut them on the diagonal.
- The beef stock that I prefer is the brand Kitchen Basics; it has a really good flavor.
- I use my Bosch with the whisk attachments to mash the potatoes. I dump in the potatoes, sour cream, butter, milk, and chives and mix it for just about 45 seconds to 1 minute. Any longer than that and the starch releases and the potatoes get sticky.
