Ingredients
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8 -10 red potatoes, skin on, quartered
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6 carrots, peeled, sliced into thick chunks
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2 stalks celery, cut in chunks
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3 bay leaves
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3 lbs stew meat, cubed (I used chuck)
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1/2 cup flour
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1 dash salt
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1 dash pepper
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1 dash garlic powder
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2 -3 tablespoons olive oil
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1 medium onion, diced
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4 large garlic cloves, minced
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2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
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10 3/4 ounces beef broth (I used consomme)
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1 (13 g) envelope Lipton Onion Soup Mix
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1 teaspoon dried thyme
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1/2 teaspoon black pepper
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1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
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1 teaspoon creole seasoning (Tony Chachere's)
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12 ounces beer (Guinness, draught or stout)
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1 cup frozen peas, if desired
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1 teaspoon Italian herb seasoning (Mrs. Dash)
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8 ounces baby portabella mushrooms, halved
Instructions
- Put potato, carrot, and celery chunks in the bottom of crock pot. Top with 2 bay leaves.
- Season flour with a dash of salt, pepper and garlic powder and coat the beef with the flour mixture. Heat a couple of tbsp of olive oil over med-high heat in a large skillet and add 1 bay leaf. Sauté beef in batches, just until browned.(It took me about 3 batches in a 12" skillet). Add more oil to pan as necessary for each batch. Remove and set aside.
- Add onion and garlic to the same pan and sauté over med heat for a few minutes, then add about half the can of beef broth to deglaze, scraping up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan. (That's Flavor!).
- Add meat and onions to crock pot, top with mushrooms.
- Mix remaining beef broth with tomato sauce, onion soup mix, remaining seasonings, and add to crock pot. Pour in most of bottle of beer (whatever fits, I had a few sips left for me).
- Cook 8 hours on low heat. Stir in frozen peas when done, they'll heat up on their own.
- Serve with crusty French bread!
- *Tony Chachere's and Mrs. Dash are my "go-to" seasonings for everything. You can use your favorite if these are not available.