We wanted to create a foolproof beef stew that would be rich and satisfying, with fall-apart meat and tender vegetables draped in a rich brown gravy. To begin, we chose chuck-eye roast for its great flavor and plentiful collagen that melted into tender gelatin through cooking. Browning the meat in two batches ensured that it got a thorough sear and didn’t steam, boosting the savory flavor of the gravy. Along with traditional stew components like onions, garlic, red wine, and chicken broth, we also added tomato paste, which is rich in glutamates compounds that give meat its savory taste and contribute considerable flavor. Potatoes, carrots, and peas rounded out our hearty and soul-warming beef stew. Use a good-quality full-bodied wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, for this stew. Depending on the size of your Dutch oven, you may need to brown the beef in three batches rather than two.
Ingredients
- 4 pounds boneless beef chuck-eye roast, pulled apart at seams, trimmed, and cut into 1½-inch pieces
- Salt and pepper
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 onions, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 2½ cups chicken broth, plus extra as needed
- 1 pound carrots, peeled and sliced 1 inch thick
- 2 bay leaves
- 1½ pounds red potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
- Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Pat beef dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown half of beef on all sides, 7 to 10 minutes; transfer to bowl. Repeat with remaining 1 tablespoon oil and remaining beef; transfer to bowl.
- Melt butter in now-empty pot over medium-low heat. Add onions and 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring often, until onions are softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in flour and tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until golden, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in wine, scraping up any browned bits and smoothing out any lumps. Stir in broth, carrots, bay leaves, and beef, along with any accumulated juices, and bring to simmer.
- Cover, transfer pot to oven, and cook for 1 hour. Stir in potatoes and continue to cook until meat is just tender, 1½ to 2 hours.
- Remove pot from oven and discard bay leaves. Stir in peas, cover, and let sit for 10 minutes. Adjust consistency with extra hot broth as needed. Stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.