Eddies Big Beef Stew
Eddies Big Beef Stew
My human makes this and lets me have some if I have been a good boy, which is always!
Wack on and heat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Fry the beef in a large saucepan over a high heat in half of the oil and brown the beef pieces. Do in batches so the pan isn't too full. Remove the beef from the pan and set aside on a plate. Don't clean the pan, as you need it to fry the vegies.
Peel and chop the onions and carrots and slice the celery really finely.
Heat the remaining oil in the same saucepan and fry the onion, celery and carrot for 4–5 minutes or until the onions have softened. Scrape any cooked on bits from the bottom of the pan. That will add flavour to the stew. Season with salt and pepper and throw in the tinned tomatoes and break them up and add a splash of Worcester sauce.
Mix the beef in with the vegetables, then take the pan off the heat. Tip all of it into a large ovenproof dish and pour the stock over the top. Peel and slice the potatoes into ½cm thick slices and arrange over the top of the beef. Dot the butter over the top then cover tightly with foil. Cook for a good two hours and then remove the foil and cook for a further 15 minutes until the potatoes are crisp and golden-brown. Serve in deep bowls with crusty bread. And share some of the meat with a lucky dog.
2 table spoons of veggie oil (or some dripping if you want a better taste!)
1 kg beef stewing steak, cut into 1in chunks
Tin of plum tomatoes
2 onions
2 celery stalks
4 large carrots
1 litre/ beef stock (cubes work fine – the Knorr rich beef pots are brilliant for this)
900g spuds
25g salted butter
Worcester sauce
Salt and freshly ground black pepper