Beef Stew with Potato Mash

SERVINGS: 4

what you need:

Stew

• 1 lb beef stew meat
• Olive Oil Spray (NOT PAM!!) or, regular olive oil
• 14.5 oz of Mirepoix
  • Mirepoix is the container of chopped celery, onion, and carrots in the produce section. You can totally cut up all of your veggies, but I find that buying the pre-cut container saves SO much time and makes it so much easier. If cutting yourself, it is a little less than one cup of each carrot, celery, and white onion.
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 15 oz tomato sauce
• 3 cups beef broth
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil

Potato Mash

• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
• 1 large russet potato, peeled and diced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper

what you need to do:

• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.
• In a large dutch oven or oven safe pot with a lid, spray a thin layer of the olive oil spray (or 1 teaspoon of olive oil) (I like to use the spray because I think it helps control the amount of oil) and warm up on high heat.
• In a large bowl, toss your beef stew chunks in a good amount of salt and pepper until they are all evenly coated. When the oil is steaming in the heating pot, place the stew meat down into the bottom of the pot. Sear for about 2 minutes, and then flip over and sear the other side for 1 minute. Gather all of the pieces and place them on a separate plate. You may need to do this in waves depending on the size of your pot and stew meat. I did this in two rounds and lightly sprayed the bottom of the pot in-between each.
• Lower the heat of the pot to medium-low. Add another good spray of olive oil (or 1 teaspoon) and add in the mirepoix and the garlic. Stirring frequently, cook for about 6-7 minutes. Add in the tomato sauce, beef broth, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, thyme, basil, and cayenne. Stir well. Bring to boil.
• Once boiling, add the stew meat back into the pot carefully. Place the lid on the pot and then put it into the oven for 2 hours. After the 2 hours, remove from the oven, and take out a piece of meat. Using two forks, try to shred the meat. If it shreds easily, it is done. If it does not, put it back into the oven in 30 minute increments until it is done.
• When there is about 30 minutes left for the stew, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and then cook the potatoes until they are cooked through. Test this by piercing the pieces with a fork, and if they crumble, they are done. Drain the potatoes and then pour them into the bowl of your stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Add in salt and pepper and then whip on medium speed until they are smooth.
• Divide the potatoes and the stew into 4 portions. To serve, place the potatoes in a bowl and then spoon the stew over the top.