Oven Beef Stew

...so easy, even a husband can do it.

See how I am? Giving Shane a hard time, when just yesterday I was praising him. But seriously, this is an easy stew to make. The oven does all the work. If you don't want to make it in the oven, though, you can cook it on top of the stove. Just brown the meat in a skillet and make sure you let the meat simmer, covered, for several hours so that it's nice and tender.

Annie's Oven Beef Stew

1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed dried thyme leaves
1/4 teaspoon ground rosemary (or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary)
1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
2 pounds beef, cut into 1-inch cubes (I used arm roast)
2 quarts (8 cups) beef broth (I used a mixture of homemade and bouillon)
1 large onion, cut into wedges (I used 1-1/2 cups of small round onions from our garden)
1/2 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks (or 1/2 pound baby carrots, cut up)
4 large potatoes, peeled if desired and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 stick butter (1/4 cup)
1/3 cup flour
browning sauce (i.e., Kitchen Bouquet)

Heat oven to 350°F. Spray large oven safe deep skillet, baking dish or Dutch oven with pan spray. Combine garlic, seasoned salt, thyme, rosemary and basil. Sprinkle half of this mixture over bottom of the sprayed pan.

Place meat cubes in prepared pan in a single layer. Sprinkle remaining salt/spice mixture over cubes of meat. Roast, uncovered, in oven for 45-50 minutes.

Add broth to meat and stir to de-glaze pan. Cover and return to oven for at 1 hour. Add all of the vegetables. Cover and continue to cook for another hour or until potatoes and carrots are tender (timing will depend on how many veggies you use).

Meanwhile, make a roux by melting butter over medium-high heat in a saucepan. Add flour and cook for 2-3 minutes until mixture begins to give off a nutty aroma. Reserve.

When vegetables and meat are tender, remove pan from the oven. If pan is extremely full, remove some of the vegetables and meat to another bowl using a slotted spoon. Whisk in all of the roux while broth is still hot from the oven. Stir until smooth and thick.

Add small amounts of browning sauce, whisking thoroughly, until gravy reaches desired color. Add reserved meat and vegetables back to the stew and serve.

Makes 6 to 8 generous servings.


Variations:

Add celery, turnips, sweet potato, shredded cabbage or almost any other vegetable to the mix.
Add a little red wine to the broth before adding it to the meat.
Add just a splash of balsamic vinegar just before serving.