Beef Stew with Mushrooms

Hearty chunks of beef turn tender after a low and slow trip in your favourite Dutch oven; potatoes join the party during the tail end of cooking to retain their texture. There’s nothing better than coming home to a simmering pot of this hearty stew on a cool fall or winter day.

2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 lbs chuck roast, boneless, trimmed and cut into 1½” pieces
1 tsp. black pepper
1½ tsp. kosher salt, divided
8 oz cremini mushrooms, quartered
2 cups red onion, sliced
3 medium carrots, cut diagonally into ½” pieces
6 cloves garlic, smashed
1 cup dry red wine
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour, unbleached
2½ cups beef stock, divided
1 bundle (tied with kitchen twine) thyme sprigs (~ 4 large sprigs) and flat-leaf parsley sprigs (~ 2 large sprigs)
2 bay leaves
12 oz baby gold potatoes, cut any larger potatoes in half
10 oz frozen pearl onions, thawed (~ 1¾ cups)
2 Tbsp. whole-grain mustard
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. fresh chives, thinly sliced

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high. Sprinkle beef with pepper and 1 tsp. salt. Add half of beef to Dutch oven and cook until well browned on two sides, 3-4 minutes per side. Transfer browned beef to a plate. Repeat with remaining beef. Set beef aside.

Add mushrooms to Dutch oven and cook, stirring often, until browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Add red onion and carrots to Dutch oven. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Add garlic; cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add red wine; cook until liquid has almost evaporated, 6-7 minutes, stirring and scraping to loosen browned bits from bottom of Dutch oven.

Whisk together flour and ½ cup of the stock in a small bowl; whisk into mixture in Dutch oven until incorporated. Stir in beef, herb bundle, bay leaves, remaining 2 cups stock and remaining ½ tsp. salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until beef is tender when pierced with a fork, about 50 minutes. Add potatoes; cover and cook until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.

Stir mushrooms, pearl onions, mustard and red wine vinegar into beef mixture. Cook, uncovered, until pearl onions are tender, 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat; remove and discard herb bundle and bay leaves. Ladle stew into bowls and sprinkle with chives.

Makes 6 servings.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Why use a Dutch oven for stew? Dutch ovens are the ideal vessel for cooking stew because of their size capacity and construction. Whether you have a cast-iron, cast-aluminum, or ceramic Dutch oven, this is a heavy-duty piece of equipment; its thick bottom and side walls retain heat and cook food evenly while the tight-fitting lid keeps the moisture inside. It works better than a set-it-and-forget-it slow cooker here because we alternate between a covered and uncovered pot in order to control evaporation.

What cut of meat is good for beef stew? The magical part about making beef stew is that you start with an inexpensive, tougher cut of meat and end up with tender, juicy, flavourful beef in each bite. We use chuck roast for this recipe, the classic choice for beef stew. It simmers in the Dutch oven for over an hour, leaving any traces of toughness behind. Of course, we don't just add raw beef to the stock; for maximum flavour, it's important to first sear the meat until it's deeply browned on two sides.

Cook's Notes: Because the beef and various vegetables don't all require the same cooking time, the ingredients are added in stages to ensure everything in the finished stew is cooked to perfection. The potatoes need only about 20 minutes to become tender, so they go into the pot when the beef is nearly ready. We use baby gold potatoes here, which are less starchy than russets and retain their shape in the broth. Be sure to cut them into similar-sized pieces to guarantee they cook evenly.