Stewed meat with potatoes

How to make stewed meat with potatoes .

How great is the word “stew”!

A most popular term that we usually use a lot to refer to those dishes that have been prepared over low heat and with prolonged cooking.

Although, in reality, “cooking” is not a culinary term in itself but a light-hearted way of saying “cooking”. When we use it for meat elaborations, what we are officially referring to is “braising” or “braising” .

A culinary technique whereby food is cooked in a closed container that prevents evaporation and maintains the juices. In the case of this meat stewed with potatoes, the result is a tasty and aromatic dish that is irresistible to many.

The casseroles of meat can be prepared with beef, pork, lamb, rabbit or other meat. Game meats are fabulous for their powerful flavor, but require a long cooking time because they are tough meats.

The secret of a good stew or meat stew is the use of proper seasoning. Whether herbal, spice, broth or similar, and patience. The latter is essential because you can not rush a stew and wait for it to come out delicious.

This recipe for stewed meat with potatoes is a great choice for everyday meals. It can be taken as a single dish, as it is loaded with vegetables and the potatoes serve as garnish.

Feel great in winter, when the body asks us for comforting dishes that remind us of our grandmothers’ kitchens. But it is still a timeless recipe, what is it?

Rest is great, so if we prepare it the day before (even two days before) we will notice how the ingredients of this stewed meat with potatoes amalgamate and it becomes tastier.

If you like these types of recipes, be sure to check the soups, stews and legumes section to gather ideas for these days of so much chilling.

Before starting with the stew. Meat and vegetables

1. We begin by cleaning the meat well from fat and removing the white parts with a sharp knife.
2. Then we season it and, in a saucepan with some very hot extra virgin olive oil, sauté it over high heat.
3. We remove so that it is browned on all sides, the outside is sealed and the juices are collected inside. We withdraw and reserve.
4. Peel the garlic cloves and finely chop them into brunoise.
5. We do the same with the onion, peel it and chop it, although it does not need a cut as fine as garlic.
6. We wash the carrots, peel them and cut them into slices half a centimeter thick.
7. We also wash the beans, remove and discard the ends, and cut them into centimeter pieces.

Cooking meat with vegetables and potatoes

1. Once all the vegetables are ready, we fry them in the same saucepan that we used for the meat.
2. Add a little more oil and when it is hot, fry the garlic for a couple of minutes.
3. Before it browns, add the onion, season with salt and pepper, stir and lower the heat to let it cook for ten minutes.
4. Next we add the chopped carrot, the beans and the tomato sauce or the fried tomato.
5. In case you have neither sauce nor fried tomato, we can grate a fresh tomato and use it instead.
6. Salt and pepper again and stir to unify the flavors before incorporating the meat, bay leaves and broth.
7. Cover the casserole and, over low heat, cook for two and a half hours.
8. During the process, we check whether the stew stays dry or not. If you need more liquid, we can add a little water or, much better, more meat stock (which will give it more flavor).

Preparation of stewed meat with potatoes. Final presentation

1. We adjust the amount of liquid according to our preference and how much we like the sauce and dipping bread in it when sitting at the table.
2. After two hours of simmering we check the meat point.
3. If we are happy with the result, we turn off the heat and remove the saucepan.
4. If we want it more tender, we let it cook longer until it reaches the desired point.
5. This will depend on the part that we have purchased, so it is indicative.
6. When we are ready to eat, we peel the potatoes, wash them and cut them into cubes of equal size.
7. Heat plenty of oil in a frying pan and fry over medium heat until tender.
8. Then we raise the heat to the maximum and give them a couple of minutes at high temperature so that they are crispy on the outside and do not fall apart when we add them to the stew.
9. Once the potatoes are ready, we remove them from the oil (draining well) and transfer them to the casserole with the meat.
10. Let it cook for a couple of minutes and serve immediately with the garnish that we like best.

I encourage you to try doing it at home. You can see all the step by step photos of this stewed meat with potatoes in this album.

Tips for a yummy beef stew

• This type of dish, the stews and stews, win with the rest time because the flavors are unified and settled. Therefore, if we are not in a hurry, we recommend that you prepare it the day before. Leaving the last step, that of the potatoes, for the moment of serving it.
• As you can see in the photos, our stew is not one that carries much sauce. This does not mean that the meat is neither tender nor dry. Absolutely.
• We just like it that way. If you are one of those who dip bread, you only have to add more broth, water or why not? some wine or brandy. You will get a fabulous sauce.
• The amount of cooking time may take you back when starting with this recipe. Not all of us have two and a half hours to do it the old-fashioned way.
• In other words, over low heat, we can always choose to use the express cooker which will not only save us time, but also consumption. Of course, keep in mind that not all ingredients have the same cooking point. You will have to adjust the times accordingly.
• The best pieces to cook are those that have streaky fat, such as the skirt, the needle, the blood sausage, the cheeks, because they are juicy and mellow and that is where the flavor of the food is found.
• Curiously they are the least noble, but slow and prolonged cooking works miracles in them and the result is film.
• As this meat stew with potatoes is loaded with vegetables, it does not need any garnish when it comes to the table. Although, if you can’t live without it, a boiled rice does very well.