This slow-cooked beef dish will warm up your whole house as well as make your mouth water.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1kg beef (chuck steak), cut into 3cm pieces
- 12 pickling onions, peeled
- 100g bacon, coarsely chopped
- 200g button mushrooms
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tablespoon plain flour
- 500ml (2 cups) red wine
- Thyme sprigs
- 2 dried or fresh bay leaves
- 3 desiree potatoes, thinly sliced
- 50g butter, melted
- Steamed green beans, to serve
Method
- Step 1Preheat oven to 140°C. Heat half the oil in a casserole pan over high heat. Add one-quarter of the beef and cook, turning occasionally, for 5 minutes or until brown all over. Transfer to a bowl. Repeat in 3 more batches with remaining beef, reheating pan between batches.
- Step 2Add remaining oil to pan and reduce heat to medium. Add the onions and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to the bowl. Add the bacon to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes or until brown. Transfer to bowl. Add the mushrooms and garlic to the pan and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until brown. Add the beef mixture and flour and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until well combined. Add the wine, thyme and bay leaves. Bring to the boil. Remove from heat and cover.
- Step 3Cook in preheated oven, stirring occasionally, for 2 hours or until beef is tender. Remove from oven. Increase oven temperature to 200°C. Combine the potatoes and butter in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Arrange potato slices evenly over the beef mixture. Sprinkle with salt flakes and thyme sprigs. Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until potato is tender and golden brown.
- Step 4Serve with steamed green beans or steamed broccoli, if desired.
- Low carb
- Lower gi
Nutrition
3128 kj
Energy
41g
Fat Total
16g
Saturated Fat
4g
Fibre
59g
Protein
198mg
Cholesterol
1217.99mg
Sodium
13g
Carbs (sugar)
22g
Carbs (total)
Notes
It is important to have the pan hot before adding the meat to brown, and to cook small portions at a time. If you add too much meat initially, the temperature of the meat will reduce the temperature of the pan and then the meat will stew in its own juices instead of browning. Browning the meat or chicken will give the meal colour and flavour. The meat juices caramelise when browning, which develops colour and gives the final dish a richer flavour. The meat will initially toughen on cooking, but the longer it is cooked, the more tender it will become. For variety, use meats with connective tissue, such as beef topside or silverside, or lamb forequarter or neck chops. Pickling onions are often referred to as pearl onions or baby brown onions. They add a rich flavour when added whole to casseroles and stews. Like all members of the onion family, they are full of the cancer-fighting chemicals called flavinoids.
- Author: Sarah Hobbs
- Image credit: Ben Dearnley
- Publication: Notebook: