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More Beef & Steak recipes
Beef & Potato Stew
Indulge in the ultimate comfort food with our Hearty Beef and potato Stew. This delicious stew combines tender chunks of beef, hearty potatoes, and a rich, savoury broth to create a warming and satisfying meal. Perfect for chilly evenings, this stew is a cosy and nourishing option that's sure to fill you up and warm your soul. With simple ingredients and easy-to-follow steps, it's a recipe that will become a family favourite in no time. So, grab your apron and get ready to savour the flavours of this comforting Beef & Potato Stew!
Ingredients
- 700g beef brisket, diced
- 500g baby potatoes
- 300g carrots, Chantenay
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, brown, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 1/2 tsp mustard powder
- 3 bay leaf
- 1/2 tsp parsley, dried
- 1/2 tsp marjoram
- 1/4 tsp thyme, dried
- 2 cups beef stock
- 2 tbsp salted butter
- 2 tbsp plain flour
Instructions
Stew, Step 1
- Heat oil over medium heat, and cook onions for 10 minutes until soft and starting to colour.
- Add garlic and cook an additional 2 minutes.
- Add beef, and brown over medium-high heat for 10 minutes.
- Next, add potatoes, carrots, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, mustard powder and herbs, and stock.
- Stir well before covering, and reducing heat to low. Simmer covered for 2 1/2 hours.
Roux
- In a small pot, heat butter over medium-high heat until melted and starting to bubble.
- Add flour to butter, and using a whisk stir consistently and cook until a dark brown colour.
Stew, Step 2
- Uncover stew, and stir through roux until well combined.
- Simmer uncovered an additional 45 minutes to an hour, or until sauce has thickened.
- Serve with crusty bread.
What I Cook With
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 395Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 100mgSodium: 256mgCarbohydrates: 22gFiber: 3gSugar: 4gProtein: 29g
Please note, this nutrition information is to be used as a guide only. Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.
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Hearty Beef and Potato Stew
The Comfort of Stew
Hearty Beef and Potato Stew is one of those meals that doesn’t need much explaining. It’s comfort food, it’s childhood, it’s winter nights with the curtains drawn and the heater cranked. Especially here in Scotland, it’s something that feels like it’s always been part of the landscape. That familiar scent of slow-cooked beef, soft veg, and rich gravy wafting from the kitchen while the world outside gets darker and colder – it’s a dinner that warms you from the inside out.
There’s no single, set-in-stone recipe for beef and potato stew, and that’s honestly half the charm. I think stews and soups are the most forgiving dishes you can make – a bit of this, a splash of that, and somehow it always comes together. If you’ve got more carrots than usual? Toss them in. Only have sweet potatoes? Go for it. The beauty of a stew is its flexibility. It loves a good fridge clean-out., and it rewards improvisation.
If you want to throw in more pepper or you’re a little heavy-handed with the thyme, I’m not here to stop you. In fact, I’ll probably cheer you on! This particular beef and potato stew is my tried-and-true version, but let it be a guide, not gospel. And if you do find yourself tinkering with the ingredients, I hope you enjoy every bubbling moment of it.
That Rich, Deep Gravy
Let’s talk about gravy, because when it comes to stew, that rich, glossy sauce is what ties everything together. I like to toss the beef through flour before browning it – it helps create a thick, velvety gravy as the stew simmers. This method also gives the beef a lovely crust and keeps things simple without needing a separate step. It’s fuss-free, effective, and doesn’t require a separate roux bubbling away on the side.
This technique works beautifully here – as the flour-coated beef browns in the pot, it starts to build up those rich caramelised bits on the bottom, which melt into the stock and become part of the sauce. Then, as the stew gently simmers away, the flour naturally thickens the stock into a lush, hearty gravy that’s full of depth and flavour. It’s all about building layers as you go, rather than trying to retro-fit flavour at the end.
And let’s be honest – no one wants a pale, watery stew. You want something that clings to your spoon and leaves you tempted to lick the bowl clean. None of that anaemic-looking stuff, thank you very much! This is the kind of stew where the gravy is just as good as the beef, and every mouthful feels like the warmest hug you’ve had all week.
Bread, Butter, and Other Memories
Growing up, my mum always had her own way of eating stew. She’d slice up thick white bread, slather it in butter, and use it to mop up every last bit of gravy from her bowl. I never really picked up the habit myself, but I get it. When the gravy’s as good as it is in this beef and potato stew, you want to enjoy every last drop.
Sometimes, food is about more than just taste. It’s about the ritual, the memory, the quiet satisfaction of something familiar. This stew reminds me of nights around the dinner table when the world outside was wet and wild, but everything inside was warm and calm. It’s amazing how a single dish can bring all that back.
Even now, when I make this recipe, I think of those cold nights and mum’s bread-and-butter ritual. I never needed the bread because the stew itself was always enough for me. But I love how food tells a story – hers, mine, ours. Maybe your story includes a generous heap of mashed potatoes underneath or a spoonful of horseradish on the side. Whatever it looks like, I hope it tastes like home.
Ingredients Breakdown
Brisket is my beef of choice for this recipe – it holds up beautifully to slow cooking and turns meltingly tender after a few hours in the pot. I cut it into bite-sized pieces, just big enough to give you a satisfying mouthful without overwhelming the spoon. The beef is the star, so don’t rush the browning stage. It’s worth taking your time.
I go for baby potatoes here – no peeling required, which is a small joy in itself. They hold their shape better than larger potatoes and have a lovely, creamy texture when cooked. Carrots add sweetness and colour, and I always prefer Chantenay if I can find them. They’re small and tender and look quite lovely in a stew. Onion and garlic form the flavour base, as they so often do, and they get a gentle sauté before anything else goes in.
The flavourings are simple but effective: Worcestershire sauce for that unmistakable umami punch, tomato paste for depth, and mustard powder for a quiet little kick. Bay leaves add their earthy fragrance, while parsley, marjoram, and thyme round out the herbal notes. Beef stock is the backbone of the gravy, and finally, the flour-tossed beef helps thicken everything into that rich, comforting gravy we’re after.
Thanks for sharing looks very nice.
Thanks for stopping by!!