This beef and potato stew is a spin on Beef Bourguignon that's easier and more affordable, but every bit as hearty and delicious.
Beef is stewed in a red wine and beef stock until the sauce is rich and thick and the meat is falling-apart-tender. Stir in some buttery baby potatoes and settle in for cozy, satisfying meal that will warm you from the inside out.
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Many years ago, my mom gave me a set of Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking as a Christmas gift. Julia's Beef Bourguignon was one of the first things I made and my family went wild for it. After that, it became a Christmas Day tradition in our home. After opening gifts and having breakfast with our extended family, we'd go home to play games or watch movies and I'd make Beef Bourguignon.
This Beef and Potato Stew is essentially a simpler, easier, less expensive form of Beef Bourguignon.
I debated for a long time about whether I was going to include this recipe in the Cheap and Easy Series. Stew meat must cook low and slow for quite a while to get that fall-apart-tender consistency. But this isn't the cheap and quick series, and it actually is quite easy to put the pot in the oven and let it do it's thing.
The cheap part comes into question with the quality of beef you choose and the bottle of red wine. I always do my best to select beef that's from a source for which I have a reasonable assumption that the animals were treated well and fed well. That usually means spending a little bit more money. To me, it's worth it. We don't eat a lot of red meat and I'd rather buy a smaller cut of something responsibly raised and high quality than a larger cut of something questionable.
But, I know spending more money on good quality beef is not always an option. I get it. If beef isn't in your budget right now, you'll find lots and lots of other options in the cheap and easy series, some for under $2 a serving.
Having said that, stew meat is less expensive than many other cuts and you don't need a lot of it per person to make a hearty, filling meal.
As for the wine, my advice is to always cook with something you'd also happily drink. If the wine tastes bad before you add it to the dish, it will make the entire dish taste bad. Happily, you can find some really good options these days in the $10 or $12 a bottle range.
OR, save even more money by replacing the red wine with beef broth. I've got some more money saving tips for you below but the bottom line is this: This stew is a bit more expensive and time consuming than some of the other options in the cheap and easy series, but still much less expensive and easier than a stew like Beef Bourguignon. And every bit as delicious.
xo
-Rebecca
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Ingredients needed to prepare this recipe
Cost of ingredients: $30 total/ $7.50 per serving
I purchased these ingredients at a Meijer's grocery store in Michigan. The cost will vary depending on where you are and where you shop.
- Vegetable, canola, or olive oil
- Red wine. Choose something that you'd want to drink. If it tastes good to you in a glass, it will taste good in the stew.
- Small potatoes. I used yellow potatoes, but any variety of baby potatoes will work well.
- A yellow onion
- Stew meat. Stew meat is generally a chopped up chuck roast. Sometimes it's more economical to purchase a chuck roast and cut it into pieces yourself, but not always. Pay attention to the cost per pound and be mindful about whether the chuck roast on offer is bone-in or boneless.
- Carrots. I used baby carrots to save a bit of time, but a couple of regular size carrots will work just as well.
- Butter.
- Beef broth OR Better Than Bouillon Beef Base mixed with water.
- Tomato paste. I almost always use the kind of tomato paste that comes in a tube rather than a can because it's so much easier to store the leftover tomato paste. It also tends to be concentrated, so you can use a bit less.
- All-purpose flour.
- Dried thyme.
- Salt and pepper.
How to make this dish even cheaper and easier
- One of the easiest ways to save some money on this meal is to omit the red wine and simply use additional beef broth instead.
- If stew meat is something you'll use for other meals, it can be more economical to purchase to buy in bulk. Often a large package of stew meat will save some money per pound. Divide it into 1 or 2 pound portions and freeze in freezer bags or other air-tight containers for up to 3 months.
- I think that Better Than Bouillon mixed with water tastes better than any other prepared, packaged stock option you can find. In addition, it's more economical. One jar will give you roughly 38 servings, which comes out to around .11 cents per serving.
Step-by-step photos and instructions
Spread the stew meat onto a couple of paper towels or a clean kitchen towel. Pat the meat dry with another paper towel or clean kitchen towel.
Sprinkle the meat generously with salt and pepper.
Brown the meat in hot oil in a large saucepan or dutch oven.
While the meat is browning, cut the onion in half, remove the papery outer layers, then cut each half into ¼-inch slices.
Remove the meat from the pan and add the sliced onions. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are golden brown.
Add the carrots to the pan with the onions and cook, stirring, for another 2-3 minutes.
Add the beef back to the pan with the onions and carrots. Sprinkle the flour over the meat and vegetables then use a spoon to toss everything around so it's coated with flour. Place the pan in the oven, uncovered, for 4 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, stir everything around, then place back in the oven, uncovered, for 4 minutes longer.
Set the pan over medium high heat and stir in the wine, beef stock, tomato paste, garlic, and thyme. Bring the liquid to a simmer, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any brown bits from the bottom and sides of the pan. Those brown bits contain a lot of flavor!
Cover the pan and set it in the oven to roast until the meat is very tender.
While the stew cooks, prepare the potatoes. Add some butter and oil to a skillet, set it over medium heat and add the potatoes. Roll the potatoes around to coat with the butter and oil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.
Cook, turning them every now and then, until they are fork tender, about 25 minutes.
When the meat is tender, pour the entire stew into a colander that has been set over a large bowl.
Remove the meat from the colander, setting it on a plate. Use the back of a spoon to press most of the liquid from the vegetables then save the sauce and discard the vegetables.
Pour the sauce back into the pan in which you cooked the stew. Taste and add more salt and pepper if you like. Bring the sauce to a simmer, then remove it from the heat and stir in a pat of butter.
Add the meat and potatoes to the stew, stirring them around to coat with the sauce.
Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley, if desired, and serve.
Serving suggestions
As you can see in these photos, I served this stew with a loaf of homemade honey wheat bread. If you have the time and inclination, it's one of those simple recipes that produces two loaves of hearty homemade bread that's just begging to be dragged through all that rich sauce on your plate.
Two other good suggestions are these buttery homemade dinner rolls and classic, flaky buttermilk biscuits. Or, if you have a sweet tooth, try these cinnamon and sugar biscuits.
I also like to serve beef and potato stew with some additional veggies. Here are 4 great options:
If you give this recipe a try, let me know! Scroll down to leave a comment and rate it!
📖 Recipe
Beef and Potato Stew
This beef and potato stew is a spin on Beef Bourguignon that's easier and more affordable, but every bit as hearty and delicious. Beef is stewed in a red wine and beef stock until the sauce is rich and thick and the meat is falling-apart-tender. Stir in some buttery baby potatoes and settle in for cozy, satisfying meal that will warm you from the inside out.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ to 2 pounds stew meat or boneless chuck roast cut into 2 or 3-inch pieces
- Salt and pepper
- 3 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil, divided
- 1 medium to large size onion, sliced
- 2 or 3 large carrots, cut into bite size chunks, or about 8 ounces in baby carrots cut in half if large or left whole if small
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups dry or semi-dry red wine
- 2 to 4 cups beef stock OR Better than Bouillon Beef Base mixed with water
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 3-5 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
- 1 to 1 ½ pounds small, baby potatoes, I used baby yellow potatoes
- 4 tablespoons butter, divided
- About ½ cup chopped fresh Italian flat leaf parsley
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 450° F (232° C).
- Spread the stew meat onto a couple of paper towels or a clean kitchen towel. Pat the meat dry with another paper towel or clean kitchen towel, then sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.
- Pour 2 tablespoons of oil into a large saucepan, stock pot, dutch oven, or braiser. (Choose a pan that can fit inside your oven, preferably with a lid.) Set the pan over medium high heat. When the oil is hot and shimmering, add the stew meat. Add just enough for all the pieces to be touching the bottom of the pan; do not overcrowd the pan. Do this in two batches if necessary. When the meat releases easily from the bottom of the pan, use metal tongs to turn the pieces over, letting them brown on the other side. Continue to turn the pieces so that they are brown on all sides, then remove to a plate.
- While the meat is browning, cut the onion in half, remove the papery outer layers, then cut each half into ¼-inch slices. Turn the heat down to medium and add the sliced onions. Cook, stirring from time to time, until the onions are a light golden brown.
- Add the carrots to the pan with the onions and cook, stirring, for another 2-3 minutes.
- Add the beef back to the pan with the onions and carrots. Sprinkle the flour over the meat and vegetables then use a spoon to toss everything around so it's coated with flour. Place the pan in the oven, uncovered, for 4 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, stir everything around, then place back in the oven, uncovered, for 4 minutes longer. Remove the pan from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 325° F (163° C).
- Set the pan over medium high heat and stir in the wine and the beef stock. Add just enough beef stock so the meat is barely covered with liquid.
- Add the tomato paste, garlic and thyme. Bring the liquid to a simmer, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any brown bits from the bottom and sides of the pan. Those brown bits contain a lot of flavor!
- Cover the pan and move it to the oven. (If your pan doesn't have a lid, cover it tightly with aluminum foil.) Let the stew roast until the meat is so tender you can easily pull it apart with a fork. How long this takes will depend on the size of your pieces. Small pieces will be tender in about an hour and a half. Larger pieces can take three hours or so.
- While the stew cooks, prepare the potatoes: Add 2 tablespoons of butter and the remaining tablespoon of oil to a skillet and set it over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the potatoes. Roll the potatoes around to coat with the butter and oil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Cook, turning them every now and then, until they are fork tender, about 25 minutes.
- When the meat is tender, pour the entire stew into a colander that has been set over a large bowl. Remove the meat from the colander, setting it on a plate. Use the back of a spoon to press most of the liquid from the vegetables then discard the vegetables. Pour the sauce back into the pan in which you cooked the stew. Taste and add more salt and pepper if you like. Bring the sauce to a simmer, then remove it from the heat and stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the meat and potatoes to the stew, stirring them around to coat with the sauce.
- Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley, if desired, and serve.
Notes
Cooking the potatoes in a skillet makes their skin taste like a baked potato, a little bit chewy and almost meaty. I love this, but if you'd rather the skins be tender, boil them in salted water until tender instead. You can also cook them in the same pot as the meat. The challenge to this is getting the timing right. It's important to cook the stew until the meat is very tender; how long this will take can be a bit unpredictable. The potatoes will need approximately 60 minutes to get tender in the pot with the meat.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
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Enther Stainless Steel Colander Set with Lid - Set of 3 Rice Strainer Bowls, 2.6, 3.2, 4QT - Durable Mesh Filter, Nestable Design for Washing Vegetables, Fruit and Rice and for Draining Cooked Pasta -
M-COOKER 3.8 Quart Enameled Cast Iron Braiser Pan with Lid
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Better Than Bouillon Premium Roasted Beef Base, Made with Seasoned Roasted Beef, Blendable Base for Added Flavor, 38 Servings Per Jar, 8 OZ Jar (Single)
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
¼ of the recipeAmount Per Serving: Calories: 794Total Fat: 34gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 19gCholesterol: 199mgSodium: 863mgCarbohydrates: 40gFiber: 4gSugar: 6gProtein: 63g
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