Old-Fashioned Beef Stew

Ingredients

• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• 1 lb beef stew meat, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 5 tsp vegetable oil, divided
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 cup red wine
• 3½ cups beef broth
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 5 medium carrots, peeled and cut into ¼-inch rounds
• 2 large baking potatoes, peeled and cut into ¾-inch cubes
• 2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
• black pepper, to taste
• additional broth or water, as needed

Steps

1. Coat the beef. Combine the flour and ¼ teaspoon black pepper in a bowl. Add the beef and toss to coat.
2. Brown the beef. Heat 3 teaspoons oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Working in batches, brown the beef on all sides, about 5 minutes per batch. Add more oil as needed. Transfer the browned beef to a plate.
3. Deglaze the pot. Add the vinegar and red wine. Cook over medium-high heat, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
4. Simmer the beef. Return the beef to the pot. Add the broth and bay leaves and bring to a boil.
5. Braise. Reduce to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook until the beef is tender, about 1½ hours.
6. Add the vegetables. Stir in the onion and carrots. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
7. Add the potatoes. Add the potatoes and continue simmering until the vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes. Add more broth or water if the stew becomes too thick.
8. Season. Remove the bay leaves. Season with the salt and additional black pepper to taste.
9. Serve. Ladle into bowls and serve hot.