Dutch Oven Beef Stew

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There is nothing better than coming home to a delicious homemade Dutch Oven Beef Stew. A hearty warming dish any day of the week.

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With a little preparation this dish is slow cooked to perfection, simple to make but so indulgent.

in this article:

Ingredient Notes
Erren’s Top Tips
Storing and Freezing Instructions
FAQs
Dutch Oven Beef Stew

Ingredient Notes

ingredients for stew: beef, mushrooms, potatoes, cooking sherry - 15

Stewing Beef: I use beef chuck roast, but you can use any good quality stewing beef you prefer.
Mushrooms: I use brown mushrooms, but any mushroom of your choice will work just fine.
Potatoes : Any medium-starch potato such as Yukon gold potatoes will work well in a stew.
Cooking Sherry: Sherry a wonderful richness, but if you don’t have any or can’t use it for any reason, you can use red or white wine or tablespoon of vinegar which adds brightness and enhances the flavor of the gravy.
Onions: I use white onions in this recipe, however, these can be replaced with leeks, pearl onions or even red onions.
Herbs: I use bay leaves and parsley (including the stems when making slow cooked dishes as the stems add a lot of flavor), but you can use thyme

Step By Step Instructions

Coat the stewing steak in flour.

Fry in a pan until browned.

Remove from the pot and set aside.

Add the onions and celery to the pan and saute.

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Reduce heat to medium and add garlic; continue to sauté 30 seconds longer before adding the mushrooms.

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Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and browned, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in the remaining flour and tomato paste, and cook another 1 to 2 minutes.

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Add the sherry, scraping up any browned bits that may have stuck to the pot. Add beef stock, bay leaves, and parsley stems; bring to a boil.

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Mix in the browned meat; season with salt and pepper return to simmer. Cover and place in oven; cook 2 hours.

Prepare and cut the potatoes and carrots. Carefully remove the pot from the from oven, stir in the potatoes, carrots, and parsley leaves. Cover, and return to oven.

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Bake until meat is tender, about 1 hour.

Remove the stew from oven, discard the bay leaves, and skim off any fat that may have formed on the surface. Taste for seasoning, and add salt as needed before serving. Serve and enjoy!

This stew is delicious on its own, however, I love to serve it with creamy mashed potatoes or with suet dumplings .

Erren’s Top Tips

When browning the meat make sure the pan is not overcrowded and there is space between the chunks, this ensures it doesn’t steam instead of brown.
Try to chop your vegetables into equally sized pieces, this helps them all cook evenly.

Storing and Freezing Instructions

In The Fridge: Keep your stew in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container. Reheat in the oven until piping hot.
In The Freezer: You can store this beef stew in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Make sure there is space in the container for the stew to expand when it freezes. Defrost thoroughly in the fridge and reheat in the oven until it’s heated through.

Are Dutch ovens good for stews?

A Dutch oven pot retains heat very well so it’s perfect for cooking a stew..

How do you reheat stew in a Dutch oven?

Simply re-heat the stew in the pot at 300 degrees F until piping hot.

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Ingredients

▢ 3 pounds good quality stewing beef (such as chuck roast, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes)
▢ 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
▢ salt & ground black pepper (to taste)
▢ 3 tablespoons olive oil
▢ 2 large onions (sliced)
▢ 2 celery ribs (diced)
▢ 3 cloves garlic (minced)
▢ 1 lb brown mushrooms (sliced)
▢ 1 tablespoon tomato paste
▢ 1 cup dry sherry or wine
▢ 2 cups beef stock
▢ 2 bay leaves
▢ 2 tablespoons parsley stems (chopped)
▢ 3 medium potatoes (peeled and quartered)
▢ 4 large carrots (peeled and sliced ¼-inch thick)
▢ ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

Instructions

Heat oven to 300°F/150°C.
Place beef cubes in large bowl. Season well with salt and pepper; add 2 tablespoons of the flour to the bowl and toss to coat.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat in large Dutch oven or oven-safe stockpot; add beef to pot in two separate batches and brown meat on all sides, adding remaining tablespoon of oil as needed. Remove meat from the pot and set aside.
Add onions and celery to the pot, and sauté until almost softened, 4 to 5 minutes.
Reduce heat to medium and add garlic; continue to sauté for about bout 30 seconds longer.
Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and browned, about 3-4 minutes.
Stir in the remaining flour and tomato paste, and cook another 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the sherry, scraping up any browned bits that may have stuck to the pot. Add beef stock, bay leaves, and parsley stems; bring to a boil.
Mix in the browned meat; season with salt and pepper return to simmer. Cover and place in oven; cook 2 hours.
Prepare and cut the potatoes and carrots. Carefully remove the pot from the from oven, stir in the potatoes, carrots, and parsley leaves cover, and return to oven.
Bake until meat is tender, about 1 hour. Remove the stew from oven, discard the bay leaves, and skim off any fat that may have formed on the surface. Taste for seasoning, and add salt as needed before serving.

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