Stewed Potatoes with Beef

Name: Beef and Potato Stew with Onion, Carrot and Garlic
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h 15 min
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: Beef (stew meat) 400 g; Potatoes 4–5; Onions 2; Carrot 1; Garlic 1–2 cloves; Vegetable oil 3 tbsp; Water 2 cups (400 ml); Salt, ground black pepper, savory to taste

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1 h 30 mins

I love it when there are potatoes stewed with meat for dinner. Sure, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. That’s what official science says. But science doesn’t know that for many people day turned into night long ago, and what’s called breakfast can easily become lunch or dinner. That’s the reality of the modern world.

People who watch their lifestyle and eat well and on time have come up with all kinds of theories, and often call ordinary ham and eggs a trendy “English” breakfast. Then there’s the European continental breakfast, based on Mediterranean recipes: light dishes that nevertheless keep you full until lunch.

It’s all tradition, that is, a set of ideas and customs passed down from generation to generation. I don’t understand why we so easily adopt other people’s traditions and forget our own. When I was little, breakfast at home was usually quick but filling. Most often it was fried eggs, a slice of bread, tea with lemon and cookies. Sometimes there were “milk” sausages or wieners; back then they were still safe to eat. At my grandmother’s in the village it was simpler: plenty of fresh milk from the morning milking and fresh bread with honey. And mind you, without any theories!

Now, living in the city, where eating properly and regularly is extremely hard, dinner has become perhaps the only real chance for a decent meal. Unless you count a beer and a cigarette at a café as dinner.

And yet making a dinner that fills you up, is good for you and, most importantly, is hot isn’t hard at all. A piece of meat, an onion, a carrot, a few potatoes. And only about an hour of your time.

Stewed potatoes with meat and vegetables is an easy dish that cooks fairly quickly.

Stewed potatoes with meat, vegetables and herbs — a tasty dish for a proper dinner. Takes no effort to make.

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Ingredients

2 servings

Beef (stew meat) 400 g
Potatoes 4–5
Onions 2
Carrot 1
Garlic 1–2 cloves
Vegetable oil 3 tbsp
Water 2 cups (400 ml)
Salt, ground black pepper, savory to taste

Step-by-step recipe

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Frying the meat and vegetables

Trim the beef of any bone and membranes. Cut the meat into small slices with a knife.
Peel the onions and slice them into thin strips. Peel the carrot and cut it into small cubes.
Heat 3 tbsp vegetable oil in a deep frying pan and add the prepared onion and carrot.
Fry the onion and carrot over medium heat, stirring often. They should turn soft and just about start to brown.
Add the beef, cut into small slices, to the vegetables and fry everything together for 6–7 minutes.
Add spices to taste: salt, ground black pepper and 1–2 pinches of savory. Peel the garlic cloves, chop them with a knife and add to the meat.

Stewing with potatoes

Pour 2 cups of water (400 ml) over the meat and vegetables and simmer everything, covered, over the lowest heat until the beef is tender.
Cut the potatoes into cubes. Not too small, or they’ll cook down into mash, but big chunks won’t cook through properly either. Add the potatoes to the stewed meat.
Simmer the potatoes with the meat and vegetables, covered, for about 20 minutes, until the potatoes are done.
The stewed potatoes with meat and vegetables are ready.

Serving

Divide the stewed potatoes with meat and vegetables among plates and serve while hot.

Calories and macros

900 kcal

Serving ≈ 730 g

Protein48 g22% of kcal
Fat50 g52% of kcal
Carbs56 g26% of kcal

100 g124 kcalProtein 6.5 gFat 6.9 gCarbs 7.7 g

Calculated from the recipe ingredients, excluding salt and spices. Data: USDA and Matvaretabellen.

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To Get It Right

Which beef to buy

Boneless stewing cuts: chuck, neck or shank. Trim off all bone and membranes and cut the meat into small slices so it turns tender faster.

For tender meat

Simmer over the lowest heat with the lid on: the water should barely bubble. If it boils away, add a little hot water, as cold water makes the meat tougher.

With tomato or sour cream

For a thicker gravy, add 1–2 tbsp tomato paste (17–33 g) together with the garlic, or 2–3 tbsp sour cream (30–45 g) 5 minutes before the end.

No savory?

Use thyme or dried marjoram, or add a bay leaf with the water. Chopped parsley or dill sprinkled on at the end works well.

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Questions and answers

How long to stew potatoes with meat?

The potatoes take about 20 minutes, covered, until done. But first the beef is simmered until tender: depending on the meat, that can take anywhere from an hour to 1.5–2 hours.

How to make beef and potato stew in a frying pan?

You need a deep frying pan or sauté pan with a lid. Fry the onion, carrot and meat in it, add water and simmer over the lowest heat, then add the potatoes once the meat is tender.

Can I make this stew in a pot?

Yes, the order is the same. A heavy-bottomed pot or a Dutch oven is best, as nothing will burn during the long simmer.

Can I make stewed potatoes with pork?

Yes. Pork stews faster than beef, usually 40–50 minutes until tender, and the potatoes go in the same way, for the last 20 minutes.

Can I make beef and potato stew in the oven?

Yes. Fry the onion, carrot and meat, transfer them to a roasting dish or clay pots with the potatoes, add water and cook covered at 180 °C for about an hour.

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