Sunday Supper
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Comforting, hearty beef stew takes a turn for the better with creamy horseradish-chive topping that's meant to be mixed in. [Photograph: Jennifer Olvera]

Note: Most store-bought beef broths taste very little like beef, so we prefer to use chicken broth in most recipes. If you have a good, high quality store-bought or homemade beef broth, your stew will benefit from it. If you prefer to cook the dish on the stovetop, bring the combined ingredients to a boil, reduce the heat to low and follow the same procedures and time frame. Just be sure to stir it from time to time to prevent burning on the bottom of the pan.

About the author: Jennifer Olvera is a veteran food and travel writer and author of "Food Lovers' Guide to Chicago." Follow her on Twitter @olverajennifer.

Every recipe we publish is tested, tasted, and Serious Eats-approved by our staff. Never miss a recipe again by following @SeriousRecipes on Twitter!

About This Recipe

Yield: serves 6
Active time: 30 minutes
Total time: 2 1/2 hours
Special equipment: Dutch oven or a large, heavy-bottomed stockpot

Ingredients

  • For the Stew:
  • 2 pounds beef chuck, cut into 2-inch cubes
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
  • 11/2 cups dry red wine
  • 1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  • 1 medium onion, quartered
  • Two 1-inch strips of orange zest
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 4 sprigs thyme
  • 1 can diced tomatoes (preferably fire-roasted, such as Muir Glen)
  • 2 1/2 cups homemade or store-bought low sodium chicken broth (see note above)
  • 3/4 pound small potatoes, halved
  • 2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
  •  
  • For the Cream:
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
  • 1 teaspoon zest from 1 lemon
  • 1 tablespoon juice from 1 lemon
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons minced chives
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons minced parsley

Procedures

  1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 300°F. Toss beef and flour together in a large bowl until beef is evenly coated. Shake off excess flour and discard. Season beef with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large dutch oven over high heat until smoking. Add beef and cook without moving untill well-browned on one side, about 6 minutes. Stir to loosen meat.

  2. Add wine to the pan, and scrape up browned bits using a wooden spoon. Add the Worcestershire sauce, garlic, onion, orange zest, bay leaves, thyme, tomatoes and broth. Bring to a boil, cover, and transfer to oven. After about an hour, add the potatoes and carrots. Continue cooking until potatoes are cooked and meat is tear-apart-tender when pierced with a fork, about 1 1/2 hours longer.

  3. Meanwhile, combine sour cream, horseradish, lemon zest, lemon juice, chives and parsley in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper and refrigerate until ready to serve.

  4. When stew is done, remove from oven and discard bay leaves, orange zest, and thyme. If stew is not thick enough, reduce over the stovetop until desired consistency is reached. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately with horseradish sour cream.