Beef & Root Vegetable Stew

A slow braise loaded with carrots, parsnips, and potatoes — the kind of one-pot dinner that makes sense once the river freezes over.

This is the stew that gets made on repeat once the temperature drops for good, mostly because it asks so little of you once it's in the pot. Beef chuck, browned hard first, breaks down slowly into something spoon-tender, while root vegetables — the ones that keep best in a cold cellar through a North Country winter — soak up the braising liquid and turn soft and sweet. There's no trick to this recipe beyond patience: brown the meat properly, don't rush the simmer, and let the vegetables go in later so they don't turn to mush. It freezes beautifully, which matters here, since a double batch on a Sunday means dinner is handled for most of the week.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs beef chuck, cut into 1½-inch cubes
• Salt and pepper, to season
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 4 cups beef stock
• 1 cup red wine or additional stock
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 carrots, cut into chunks
• 2 parsnips, cut into chunks
• 1 lb potatoes, cut into chunks
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme

Instructions

1. Pat the beef dry and season generously with salt and pepper.
2. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the beef in batches, without crowding the pot, about 3 minutes per side. Set the browned meat aside.
3. Add the onion to the same pot and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook for 1 minute more.
4. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir to coat, cooking for 1 minute to remove the raw flour taste.
5. Pour in the stock and wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Return the beef to the pot along with the bay leaves and thyme.
6. Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook on low heat for 1½ hours, until the beef is starting to soften.
7. Add the carrots, parsnips, and potatoes. Continue simmering, covered, for another 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the vegetables and beef are fully tender.
8. Discard the bay leaves and thyme stems, taste for seasoning, and serve hot with crusty bread.