Rich & Comforting Beef and Potato stew

Name: Rich & Comforting Beef and Potato stew
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 90 min
Total time: 90 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: 500g good quality beef for stew - tender and fatty cuts; 500g potatoes floury; extra virgin olive oil; salt and pepper a generous pinch; 1 bay leaf; 1 small carrot; 1 onion; 1 cube stock; water; optional: 1 dried chili/chili oil/chili paste

by Micaela Harrasser April 10, 2023

April 10, 2023

Spring is being unreasonably cold this year D: – which means my cravings for nourishing, comforting foods is still strong! If you’re with me, or you are just a fan of beefy stews, this deliciousness is perfect for you!

This beef and potato stew is a ‘white’ variant of the classic spezzatino (beef stew – find my delish recipe here), without tomato sauce. For the meat, you can use whichever type you want (veal, beef, lamb) – as long as the part is ideal for stews i.e. tender and with some fat, like this one:

I got this beauty from the ZuiderMRKT farmers market – turned out to be super tasty and soft, OMG!

The trick here is to cook it for long enough to get the meat super tender, and the potatoes almost at a mash stage – the end results should have a little bit of sauce which is a mix of the liquid (broth) and mashed potatoes. To reach this I use a pressure cooker, which only takes 90 minutes from when it starts whistling. If you do not have one, you can either use a slow cooker (6h at least) or a normal pot with lid – cook on gentle heat and covered for about 3 h. Also, feel free to add fresh herbs, like sage and rosemary. Enjoy!

[ratings]

Rich & Comforting Beef and Potato stew

Serves: 2 Prep Time: 15 min Cooking Time: 90 min+ 90 min+ Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

500g good quality beef for stew - tender and fatty cuts
500g potatoes floury
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper a generous pinch
1 bay leaf
1 small carrot
1 onion
1 cube stock
water
optional: 1 dried chili/chili oil/chili paste

Instructions

In the pressure cooker (or pot) heat some olive oil.
Finely chop the onion and carrot and add them to the oil. Cook until tender, and while they cook chop the meat into roughly 2cm cubes.
Once the onions are translucent, add the meat.
Cook until you do not see any pink (raw) bit anymore.
While the meat cooks, chop the potatoes into 1cm cubes.
Once the meat is cooked, add the wine and cook on high heat until the alcohol has evaporated ( = you do not smell it anymore).
Add the potatoes and mix.
Add the bay leaf, salt, pepper and the chili (optional), the stock cube and add enough water just to cover everything.
Place the lid on and cook for 90 minutes from when it starts to whistle (or 3 h with a normal pot on gentle simmering). If using a normal pot, make sure the water level doesn’t run too low, eventually top up with more. You want to cook it until the meat gets very tender, and most of the potatoes can be easily mashed.
Once you reach that stage, mash some of the potatoes with a fork, plate and serve!