BEEF BOURGUIGNON WITH COMPANY MASHED POTATOES

BEEF BOURGUIGNON

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon good olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

8oz.  good bacon, diced

2 ½ - 3 lb beef chuck

Kosher salt

Good amount of freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped

2 teaspoons dried thyme

1 tablespoon flour, plus 3 tablespoons for thickening sauce

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 large carrots, finely chopped

1 medium size onion, finely chopped

1 bottle good red wine

3 cups beef broth

1 small can tomato paste

1 pound mushrooms, stems discarded, caps thickly sliced

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Add the bacon and cook over medium heat 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is lightly browned but not crispy. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a large plate.

Season the meat with salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Mix the herbs and roll the meat in the mixture, pressing it in well. Dust the meat with the flour. With the Dutch oven on Medium-high heat, add the meat to the bacon fat and brown on all sides. When the meat is brown, remove from the pan.

Add the carrot, onion and a pinch of salt to the Dutch oven, adding a little olive oil if needed.  Cook until lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minutes. Add the tomato paste, stir. Gently place the meat and bacon back into the Dutch oven with any juices that have accumulated on the plate. Add the mushroom. Add the bottle of red wine and enough beef broth to cover the meat. Bring to a boil; cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and turn the heat down to medium-low on the stove,  cook about 2- 2 ½ hours, or until the meat is very tender when pierced with a fork.

When meat is tender, remove from the pot onto a cutting board and cover with foil. Thicken the sauce by combining 2 tablespoons of butter and 3 tablespoons of flour with a fork and whisk into the sauce to thicken. Bring the sauce to a boil, then lower and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, season to taste. (If the sauce is too thin, you can add more of the flour mixture.

With an electric knife, slice the meat ¾ of an inch thick. Serve on a plate with mashed potatoes and sauce over the top.

This recipe may seem like a lot of work but it is so worth it. The meat is tender with a rich thick wine sauce that screams autumn. The smell of the house while the meal was cooking was enough to make me want to make it again.

The tender beef and red wine sauce served on top of Company Mashed Potatoes made it the perfect meal. I sliced the mushrooms very large as Keith is not fond of mushrooms. Doing this allowed him to place them aside on his plate so I could eat them. Traditionally the meat is cut up like stew meat yet I preferred it sliced.

The recipe called for a bottle of wine and beef broth that would cover the meat while cooking. This made for a lot of sauce; I had about a cup and a half of left over sauce after the meat was gone. I must admit here that I added a bottle of good red wine to the pot minus one glass for myself. This dish was the perfect meal for my friends Robert and Kate. It is a keeper.

Keep √

COMPANY MASHED POTATOES

9 large baking potatoes, peeled and diced

½ cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature

12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

¾ cup sour cream

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Place the diced potatoes in a large saucepan and add water to cover. Heat to boiling, Reduce heat and simmer over medium heat until tender. Drain.

Place the potatoes in a large mixing bowl. Cut the butter and cream cheese into small pieces and add to the potatoes.  Beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in the sour cream. Add the nutmeg, season with salt and pepper to taste.  You can serve the potatoes immediately or bake at 300 degrees for 20 minutes to reheat.

This is my favorite mashed potato recipe. I can feel the fat going to my thighs as I eat them, but I don’t care. They are creamy, rich and complement any meal. I like to eat them right out of the bowl with butter however, they are much better with a gravy or sauce to accompany them.  The only thing you will be disappointed about after eating these mashed potatoes are the numbers on your scale. Keep √