Beef Stew Over Mashed Potatoes is cooked in a Dutch oven and loaded with tender chunks of savory stew meat, red wine, carrots, fresh thyme, and olives with a thick and hearty broth.
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepperto taste
6oz.tomato paste
4 oz.medium whole, pitted black olives
4cups beef broth
Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes
6large russett potatoes, peeled and quartered
1/2 - 2/3cup heavy cream
4cloves garlic, peeled and halved
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
Make the Beef Stew
The day prior to when you'd like to enjoy the stew, sort through the stew meat to make sure all the pieces are generally around 1-inch in size, cutting them as needed if they are too large.
Place the beef into a large container or freezer bag; add wine, onion, garlic, orange zest, carrots, thyme sprigs, and bay leaves. Let beef marinate for 18-24 hours. Be sure to press all the air out of the bag of ingredients before sealing. **If you are placing all the ingredients into a freezer bag to marinate, be sure to place it into a large bowl to catch all possible leaks that usually happen.
After the beef has marinated for the desired time, remove it from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels, reserving the marinade and all its ingredients since you will be simmering this as part of the finished stew.
Liberally season the beef with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste. **The meat will be dark in color (and kind of purplish in color) after marinating in the red wine marinade, so don't worry, it's supposed to be like this.
In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium high heat; when the oil is nicely hot, add the seasoned meat, a few pieces at a time, browning off on all sides, working in batches. Remove the browned meat to a plate as you go.
Once all the beef is browned and removed, deglaze the Dutch oven by adding a bit of wine or broth to the pan, bringing up all the browned bits that are attached to the bottom as you stir.
Add the tomato paste to the pan at this time and cook, over low heat, until the tomato paste has turned from bright red in color to a deep brownish-red. Add broth or wine to the tomato paste, a little at a time, so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan too much.
Add the olives to the tomato paste, then pour in the reserved marinade and all it's ingredients. Add the browned and reserved stew meat, stirring to combine.
Bring the stew to a boil over medium high heat, skimming away any foam that comes to the top. Reduce the heat until stew is barely simmering; add the beef broth and cook, partially covered over low heat, for 2-3 hours, until the stew is nicely thickened.
Make the Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; add peeled and quartered potatoes and cook until the potatoes are very fork-tender.
Meanwhile, in a small sauce pan over low heat, bring the cream and garlic to a low simmer, then remove from heat to allow the garlic to steep in the cream.
Drain the potatoes well and place them into the bowl of a large food processor; add a bit of the warm cream and garlic and process potatoes, pulsing until very smooth, working in batches as needed. **If you don't have a food processor, you can use an electric mixer or even mash the potatoes by hand.
Season the potatoes to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Serve the Stew
Place the warm creamy garlic potatoes into bowls creating a well in the center; add a generous helping of the stew; garnish with fresh Italian parsley, if desired. Enjoy at once!