Best Beef Stew

Ingredients
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 anchovy fillets, finely minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 boneless beef chuck-eye roast (about 4 pounds), trimmed of excess fat, cut into 1 ¹⁄₂-inch pieces
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, halved and then cut into thin slices
2 cups baby carrots, cut in half lengthwise
¹⁄₄ cup all purpose flour
2 cups red wine
2 cups chicken or beef broth
2 bay leaves
4 sprigs fresh thyme
4 ounces bacon
1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 ¹⁄₂ cups frozen pearl onions, thawed
2 teaspoons unflavored powdered gelatin (about 1 packet)
¹⁄₂ cup water
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
Table salt and ground black pepper

Instructions
1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300*F. Combine garlic and anchovies in small bowl; press with back of fork to form paste. Stir in tomato paste and set mixture aside.

2. Pat meat dry with paper towels. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in large Dutch oven over high heat until just starting to smoke. Add half of beef and cook until well browned on all sides, about 8 minutes total, reducing heat if oil begins to smoke or fond begins to burn. Transfer beef to large plate. Repeat with remaining beef and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, leaving second batch of meat in pot after browning.

3. Reduce heat to medium and return first batch of beef to pot. Add onion and carrots to Dutch oven and stir to combine with beef. Cook, scraping bottom of pan to loosen any browned bits, until onion is softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add garlic mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, until no dry flour remains, about 30 seconds.

4. Slowly add wine, scraping bottom of pan to loosen any browned bits. Increase heat to high and allow wine to simmer until thickened and slightly reduced, about 2 minutes. Stir in broth, bay leaves, thyme, and bacon. Bring to simmer, cover, transfer to oven, and cook for 1 ¹⁄₂ hours.

5. Remove pot from oven; remove and discard bay leaves and bacon. Stir in potatoes, cover, return to oven, and cook until potatoes are almost tender, about 45 minutes.

6. Using large spoon, skim any excess fat from surface of stew. Stir in pearl onions; cook over medium heat until potatoes and onions are cooked through and meat offers little resistance when poked with fork, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, sprinkle gelatin over water in small bowl and allow to soften for 5 minutes.

7. Increase heat to high, stir in softened gelatin mixture and peas; simmer until gelatin is fully dissolved and stew is thickened, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste; serve.

Comments
This recipe is from Cook’s Illustrated 2010.  Lance and I had been talking about beef stew for some reason and I realized I’d never made it before due to Art’s dislike of the texture of pot roast.  I decided I should make it when he was out of town and opted for the recipe from Cook’s Illustrated.  They’re pretty great at having great versions of classic recipes. 

Lance and I really enjoyed this.  I made biscuits to serve with it since that’s how we always had beef stew in high school.