Recipe: Braised Beef, Onions and Potatotes

recipelink.com Chat Room Recipe Swap - 2001-07-11
From: recipelink.com

Braised Beef, Onions and Potatotes
From: aem
Newsgroup: rec.food.cooking
Date: 10-24-2000

Here's an oven-braised beef, onions and potatoes dish that refrigerates and reheats well; maybe it would freeze/reheat okay. It's based on an old Julia Child favorite.

Slice 3 lbs. chuck steak into 3.5x 2x.5-inch pieces. Marinate it overnight in:

1/4 cup wine vinegar
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 large cloves garlic, minced
3/4 tsp savory (don't omit this!)
3/4 tsp thyme
2 tsp salt
pinch of black pepper

Cook 4 slices of bacon until crisp, remove, leaving fat in skillet. Slice 5 to 6 cups onions. Add 1 to 3 Tbsp. olive oil to skillet, as needed. Add the onions, stir to coat, cover and cook over low heat stirring now and then until tender and beginning to color--about 20 minutes. (JC uses fat rendered from side pork; we love bacon.)

Preheat oven to 350F. Slice 7 to 8 cups russet potatoes (or Yukon Golds). Drain meat, season well with salt and pepper. In one or two large casserole dishes, layer onions and meat, pour marinade over, and top with potatoes. Season potatoes with salt and pepper. Add a mixture of beer and beef broth just to reach the top of the ingredients. Bring the casserole to a simmer on the top of the stove, then cover and place in oven for about an hour. (JC just uses beef bouillon.)

(If making ahead to freeze, stop at this point. When ready to continue, thaw it completely to room temperature before proceeding with next steps.)

Raise oven temperature to 425F. Spoon off accumulated fat. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over top and baste lightly with cooking liquid. Heat to simmer again on stovetop, then place (uncovered this time) in oven and bake for about 30 minutes until top is browned. Serve from casserole.