Mulled Wine Beef Stew with roasted baby potatoes. Slow roasted beef with mulling spices mixed into a classic wine braise with fresh herbs. This stew is rich and comforting and perfect for the winter season. It’s such a simple dinner make, but the flavours are bold and comforting it just makes it feel kind of festive.
This meal is hearty, warming and a perfect dish to feed the family. The house smells like mulled wine as it cooks and the flavours are elevated to showcase some seasonal favourites like mulled wine.
This stew is fairly easy to prepare and all happens in one large pot. Seared chunks of beef, a classic mirepoix, some tomato paste, red wine, stock, and fresh herbs with the addition of an orange and some spices. This stew starts off over the stove and finished in the oven for a slow roast over a few hours. The finished results is a rich braising liquid with tender hunks of meat that’s accompanied by pan-fried mushrooms and roasted baby potatoes.
Inspired by a beef bourguignon and our most recent braised short ribs, there are some similarities in the ingredients and process. If you haven’t tried short ribs with crispy pierogis we highly recommend you do! Check out our recipe. Like a classic stew or bourguignon, this meal is hearty, warming and perfect for a crowd. It can be made in a crock pot, stove top or as we have done so in the oven. The noticeable differences here are that this stew is served with potatoes, which is more traditional and from a bourguignon we incorporated lots of mushrooms. What we’ve done differently is served it over some oven roasted baby potatoes that are golden and crispy which adds an extra texture to the stew instead of soft you get a crispy bite.
I really enjoyed this with the roasted potatoes. It made such a difference. Of course this can be served as is with just some bread on the side for a simpler version or mashed potatoes if that’s something you prefer. I’ve had it both, with the potatoes and without. The potatoes are crispy enough that they hold very well with the liquid spooned overtop and stay crispy if served right away. The beefy flavours go so great with the red wine, it all ends up being mouth-watering and I honestly couldn’t stop eating it. I was pretty sad when it was all gone including the leftovers the next day.
The wine is a great flavour enhancer, that deepens the flavours and after all this is based on mulled wine. So it is a must to incorporate! There’s a good mix of saucy and hearty chunky bits. I like to use the wine I typically drink, one because I love it so much, and two because it’s so damn affordable. I highly recommend using wine that you typically enjoy and has a reasonable price tag. something not too heavy or fruity would be ideal to give it a well rounded balanced taste.
For the mushrooms the best thing to do is to cook them separately. Yes this is an extra step but they really don’t workout well unless done this way. They would over cook and become way too soft if incorporate into the stew with the braising liquid and other vegetables. Mushroom have the best flavours if pan-fried un disturbed until browned on one side and flipped so that the other side can brown. A mixture of butter and oil ensure for a great browning and herbs can be added before the butter melts to infuse some extra flavours. Once the mushrooms are nice and browned, they can then be added into the braise. It’s best to start cooking the mushrooms in the last 20 minutes of cooking to have everything ready at the same time.
Once the beef is tender, it can be pulled out of the pot and chopped into smaller cubes or if you prefer to shred the meat that’s an option as well. The sauce should have thickened nicely from the flour and duration, therefore you shouldn’t need to further thicken the braise. Spoon the stew over some potatoes or serve as is. Top with some fresh chopped parsley and enjoy with a side of crusty bread.
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