Beef Stew & Dumplings

Can you believe there are only 9 more days until Christmas?! Where has the time gone?! I’m not even close to being ready! I haven’t listened to nearly enough holiday music, baked enough Christmas treats, or finished watching ABC’s 25 days of Christmas (although I have watched How The Grinch Stole Christmas aka my fav Christmas movie, AND The Polar Express).
And since Stephen and I are hopping on a plane this Sunday to the Dominican Republic (so excited!!), I’m frantically trying to pack all of our holiday traditions into just a few days. Lucky for you guys, this means lots of delicious holiday-themed recipes this week.  And first up is this beef stew that would be so SO perfect on Christmas Day.

I mean, how gorgeous is this? And in case you thought this was your run-of-the-mill stew? Think again.  The beef is marinated in a Harissa rub, then seared, and cooked alongside delicious vegetables in a beef broth spiked with Riesling white wine making for a complex broth and fall-off-the-bone beef.  Your family is going to love you.

I’ve been wanting to make this stew for a while now and when Le Creuset Outlet let me take home a few items I knew exactly what to make in their gorgeous 15 1/2 quart French oven! The heavy bottom of the pot makes it perfect for getting a nice sear on the meat and makes sure all of those juices are sealed inside, and it’s large enough to hold all of your veggies. Basically, this pot and this stew are a match made in heaven.

Oh! And I almost forgot about the last special ingredient.  The herbed dumplings! These just take the stew over the top (especially since I loaded them with freshly grated cheese) and are so soft and spongy they soak up all of the best flavors of the stew. Ugh it’s just so good, guys!

Now, this recipe isn’t too tricky.  But I figured I would go through each step anyways, because I love having lots of instructions (I think it’s the teacher inside me).  To start, take out your beef and rub generously with the harissa marinade and let sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes.  Next, dice up your onions and add alongside the butter to a hot heavy-bottomed pot.  Cook the onions until golden brown, then add in the chuck (make sure the pot is over a medium-high heat) and let sear for about 5 minutes on each side.

Once the meat is seared, remove (I simply placed mine onto a plate) then add the cubed potatoes into the pot.  Cook on medium-high until they start to turn golden brown, then add the Riesling (or dry white wine of your choice) along with the beef stock and herbs and cook with the lid on for about 15-20 minutes.  Add in the chopped carrots and cream, then add the meat back into the pot.  Simmer for another 20-30 minutes (or until the meat is cooked through).

While your meat is cooking, start on the dumpling batter.  Combine the ingredients and mix until just combined (don’t over mix).  Once the meat is done, scoop the batter on top of the simmering stew (I used an ice cream scoop) and cook for about 10-15 minutes on medium heat.

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Beef Stew With Dumplings

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

1 hour

Total time

1 hour 20 mins

 

Author: The Blonde Chef

Serves: 6 servings

What You'll Need

• 4 lbs. beef chuck
• 3 large carrots (cubed, then halved)
• 4 red potatoes (cubed)
• 1 onion (diced)
• 1 32 oz. container of beef broth
• 1 cup Riesling (or white wine of your choice)
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 3 sprigs thyme
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
• 3 sprigs rosemary
• 4 TBS. Harissa (made from Half Baked Harvest's recipe)
• 2 cloves garlic (Crushed)
• 
  
• Dumplings
• 1½ cup Bisquick
• ½ cup milk
• 1 tsp. chopped sage
• 1 tsp. chopped rosemary
• 1 tsp. chopped thyme

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, combine the beef, the harissa and crushed garlic (be sure to rub it all over the meat) and set aside.
2. In a large pot add the butter and diced onions and cook until golden brown.
3. Increase the heat to medium-high and sear the beef for about 5 minutes on each side (don't move it during this time, just let it sit).
4. Once seared on all sides, remove the meat from the pan and set aside.
5. Add the cubed potatoes (and a touch of butter) and cook until they form a golden crust.
6. Then add the herbs, Riesling, salt, heavy cream, and beef broth and bring to a simmer. Cook for about 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender
7. Add the the beef back into the stew along with the cubed carrots .Let simmer for about 20 minutes.
8. In a small bowl add all of the dumpling ingredients and fork together until just combined. Scoop onto the simmering stew and increase the temp to a boil. Cover and cook for about 15 minutes or until the dumplings and meat are both fully cooked.
9. *This stew is fabulous straight from the stove-top, but even better warmed up again the next day!

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