This classic French beef stew is the ultimate cold weather comfort food. After a few hours in the oven, the meat becomes meltingly tender and enveloped in a rich wine sauce.
With over 4,000 5-star reviews, this classic French beef stew is the all-time most popular recipe on my website. It is the ultimate cold weather comfort food. Chunks of well-marbled beef are seared in a hot pan, then gently braised with garlic and onions in a rich wine-based broth. After a few hours in the oven, the meat becomes meltingly tender and enveloped in a deeply flavorful sauce. It takes a few hours to make, but the recipe is mostly hands-off. Go ahead and make it a day or two ahead of time; the flavor improves the longer it sits.
Cut the potatoes into bite-sized chunks and add to the already cooking stew about 30 minutes before you stop cooking and plate the stew for serving (If the potatoes cook too long, they’ll just get mushy or even fall apart and add nothing but a thickening starch to the sew. Same for carrots.
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what you’ll need to make beef stew with carrots & potatoes
The most important thing is to start with the right cut of meat. You want to buy chuck roast that is well-marbled—that means it should have a good amount of white veins of fat running through it. Stay away from meat generically packaged as “stew meat,” especially if it looks lean (I can guarantee you it will not get tender, no matter how long you cook it).
For the wine, use any dry red (Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, etc.) that is inexpensive but still good enough to drink.
Beef & Potato Stew Recipe: Simple and Budget-Friendly
FAQ
How long does it take for potatoes to get soft in stew?
How do you keep potatoes from getting mushy in stew?
Can you overcook potatoes in a stew?
What takes longer to cook in stew carrots or potatoes?
How long do you cook potatoes before adding to a stew?
Rinse the cubes off before adding them to the pot, then let them cook for around half an hour until tender and ready to serve. Cooking potatoes too much before adding them to a stew will result in mushy potatoes that disintegrate and blend into other ingredients in the pot.
Should you add potatoes to soup or stew?
Adding potatoes to soup or stew to achieve your perfect consistency depends on a few factors. Namely, if you should cook them before, when they should be added and the type of potato used. In most cases, it is best to cook potatoes in the soup or stew rather than before. Add them near the end of the cooking process for perfect consistency.
Do you need to cook potatoes before making stew?
You do not need to cook the potatoes before adding them to your stew. To have firm yet done potatoes for your stew, keep them raw until around 30 minutes until the end. Slice the potatoes into cubes and keep them to one side while the rest of your ingredients stew.
How do you cook potatoes in a stew pot?
Place the potato chunks in a colander and rinse them well under cool running water. About 20 to 30 minutes before you want to serve your stew, add your potatoes to the stew pot. Note that the bigger your potato chunks, the longer they’ll take to cook. Stir the potatoes and check for doneness.