This recipe is Paula Deen’s Old-Time Beef Stew out of her Savannah Country Cookbook. My favorite way to serve it is to leave out the potatoes and pour it over her Potato Casserole. This is insanely delicious! Over the top madness and completely indulgent, when you feel like a major dose of comfort and utterly delicious craziness, go for it! Just do it! Prep your potatoes ahead of time and bake them during the last 25-30 minutes of the stew’s cook time.
2 pounds stew beef
2 T. vegetable oil
2 cups water
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 or 2 bay leaves
1 medium onion, sliced
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. paprika
Dash of ground allspice or ground cloves
3 large carrots, peeled and sliced
4 red potatoes, quartered (leave out if serving with the Potato Casserole, recipe follows)
3 ribs celery, chopped
2 T. cornstarch
Brown meat in hot oil. Add water, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, bay leaves, onion, salt, sugar, pepper, paprika, and allspice. Cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours.
Remove bay leaves and garlic clove. Add carrots, potatoes, if using, and celery. Cover and cook 30 40 minutes longer or until tender.
To thicken gravy, remove 2 cups hot liquid. Using a separate bowl, combine 1/4 cup water and cornstarch until smooth. Mix with hot liquid and return mixture to pot. Stir and cook until bubbly. (I generally do not have much cooking liquid left, so I skip the remove 2 cups liquid part and just mix the 1/4 cup water and cornstarch together and add to the meat.)
Cooking the books, y’all!
Potato Casserole
This recipe is from Paula Deen’s Savannah Country Cookbook. This casserole has to be the Gran and Grandaddy and potato casserole of all potato casseroles! So good on its own to serve with a steak or amazing with Beef Stew poured over the top, everyone is sure to enjoy it!
*2 cups leftover mashed potatoes or 1 (4.7 oz.) pkg. Betty Crocker Creamy Butter instant mashed potatoes cooked to the packages directions.
*1/2 cup sour cream
*House Seasoning to taste (1 cup table salt, 1/4 cup black pepper, 1/4 cup garlic powder), I use a steak seasoning that has those same flavors such as, Bob Tallman’s Steak Dust
*1 small onion, sliced thin
*1 small bell pepper, sliced thin
*8 T. butter
*1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar cheese
*4 medium potatoes, cooked (I prefer red with the skins)
*6 slices bacon, cooked crisp
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread mashed potatoes evenly over the bottom of a casserole dish. I use the whole package of instant potatoes, if using. Layer sour cream evenly over top. (Each time you add a layer, sprinkle on a little House Seasoning or your preferred steak seasoning.)
Sauté onion an bell pepper in butter; evenly layer over top of sour cream. Yes friends, pour that good flavored butter over the sour cream as well.
Next, layer with 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese. Slice potatoes and layer over cheese until top is completely covered with potatoes.
Finally, top with remaining 1 cup cheese. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
Remove from oven and crumble bacon over the top.