Beef Stew with Red Wine and Carrots
Tender chunks of beef stewing steak simmered in red wine with sweet carrots, onions and thyme until the sauce is rich and glossy. A comforting French-style stew served over creamy mashed potatoes.
- Total
- 130 min
- Prep 20 · Cook 110
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Medium
You'll practice: Searing · Deglazing
- Savory
- French
- Stovetop
- Oven
Instructions
-
Cut the beef stewing steak into 3 cm cubes and pat them dry with paper towel. Peel and roughly chop the onions. Peel the carrots and cut them into 2 cm chunks.
~15 min
Drying the beef ensures a dry surface so it sears and browns instead of steaming.
-
Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add the beef in a single layer and sear until deeply browned on all sides, about 6 minutes per batch. Work in two batches so the meat browns rather than steams. Transfer the browned beef to a plate.
~6 min
Searing in batches creates Maillard browning, building deep flavor; overcrowding steams the meat.
Pat the beef completely dry before searing. Any surface moisture steams the meat and prevents the deep brown crust that gives the stew its flavor.
Searing Pat meat dry and sear in a single layer over medium-high heat without moving until a brown crust forms; overcrowding steams the meat and prevents browning.
-
Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onions to the pot and cook, stirring, until softened and lightly golden, about 6 minutes. Stir in the thyme and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
~6 min
-
Pour the red wine into the pot and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom with the wooden spoon. Add 300 ml water, carrots, bay leaves, salt and black pepper. Return the beef and any resting juices to the pot. Bring to a gentle simmer, then cover and cook on low heat until the beef is fork-tender, about 1 hour 30 minutes. Stir once halfway through.
~90 min
Simmering gently breaks down collagen into gelatin, making the beef tender and the sauce rich.
If the sauce is thin after the beef is tender, uncover the pot and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes to reduce it to a glossy consistency that coats the back of a spoon.
Deglazing Pour wine into the hot pot and scrape the browned bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon; this dissolves fond into the sauce, adding flavor and preventing burning.
-
While step 4 cooks
While the stew finishes cooking, warm the mashed potatoes in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 5 minutes.
~5 min
-
Remove the bay leaves from the stew. Taste the sauce and adjust the salt and black pepper. Spoon the stew over the warm mashed potatoes and serve.
~2 min