Beef Stew with Potatoes

Beef stew with potatoes is a warm and comforting dish, perfect for a family dinner. Here is the recipe Italian-style.

Ingredients

• 500 g beef for stew (shoulder or eye of round works well)
• 600 g potatoes
• 1 medium onion
• 2 carrots
• 2 celery stalks
• 1 glass of red wine
• 500 ml beef or vegetable broth
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 sprig of rosemary
• 2 bay leaves
• (Optional) Flour for dusting the meat

Preparation

1. Start by cleaning and chopping the onion, carrots, and celery. Peel the potatoes and cut them into pieces that are not too small.
2. In a large pot, heat the extra-virgin olive oil and add the onion, carrots, and celery. Let them sauté over medium-low heat until the onion becomes translucent.
3. Meanwhile, if you prefer, you can dust the meat with flour; this will help seal in the meat juices and thicken the sauce.
4. Add the meat to the pot and brown it on all sides until well sealed and golden.
5. Deglaze with the glass of red wine and let the alcohol evaporate.
6. Add the rosemary, bay leaves, salt, and pepper, then cover everything with the broth.
7. Cover with a lid and simmer gently for about 1 and a half hours (follow the cooking times indicated by the cut of meat you have chosen).
8. After this time, add the potatoes and continue cooking for another 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender and the meat is soft and falls apart easily.
9. Check occasionally and, if it dries out too much, add more hot broth.

Trivia

Stew is a typical home-cooked dish prepared in many regional variations across Italy. For example, in Tuscany it is common to add tomato pulp for an even richer sauce, while in some northern areas white wine is preferred over red for deglazing the meat.