Sunday Dinner Beef Stew with Roasted Veggies

I live in Florida, so we don’t experience winter the way others do. We will have one or two days of cool weather and then-balmy sunshine. But I know it is getting colder in the rest of the world. So, I made Sunday Dinner Beef Stew with Roasted Veggies. I called this Sunday Dinner because it requires a little extra effort. You could just throw everything into the crockpot, but this is worth the extra effort. Roasting the vegetables adds depth. Adding the onion and garlic to the meat gives it flavor, but no one likes to eat mushy veggies. 

Servings:  6

Time:  Prep: 25 minutes Cook:  5 hours

Hardware: knives & chopping block, measuring cups & spoons, crock pot, frying pan, baking sheet, foil, cooking spray, strainer, sauce pot, paper towel covered plate, tongs, a cup, a fork

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ pounds stew meat
• 2 pieces of bacon
• 3 cloves garlic~minced
• ½ cup dry red wine
• 2 stems of fresh rosemary
• 5 sprigs fresh thyme
• 4-5 sage leaves
• 2 pounds potatoes 
• 2 large onions
• 3 stalks celery
• ½ pounds baby carrots
• 4 cups beef broth
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• ⅓ cup frozen peas
• Salt & pepper to taste

1. Cook the bacon on medium in the pan to render the fat from it.  Remove the bacon from the pan and drain it on paper towels to allow it to cool.
2. Add the stew meat to the pan and allow it to sear. (3 minutes)
3. Cut one of the onions and one stalk of celery in half. Place them in the bottom of the crock pot. Add the seared meat, crumbled bacon, herbs, wine, garlic and ½ cup stock.
4. Cook on high for 5 hours.
5. When the beef has been cooking for 4 hours. Pre-heat the oven to 325˚.
6. Cover the baking sheet in foil. Spray with cooking spray.
7. Scrub and quarter the potatoes. Quarter the onion. Cut the celery stalks into thirds Spread the veggies out on the prepared baking sheet and salt generously. Roast for 20-25 minutes or until the potatoes are done and can easily be pierced.
8. Strain the crock pot juices into the sauce pan and discard everything but the meat. Set the meat aside. Add the remaining broth and Worcestershire sauce to the sauce pot. Bring to a rapid boil. Stir the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of cold water together in the small bowl until the cornstarch dissolves. Add the cornstarchy water into the boiling liquid. The sauce should thicken. Remove from the heat. Taste and adjust the salt. Immediately add the meat and veggies (including the peas) to the hot liquid.
9.  Serve over rice or noodles.