Beer stew and mashed potatoes

I love stews! This beef stew made with beer along with mashed potatoes is one of my favorite comfort foods.

Ingredients for 2 to 4 servings:

300gr beef chuck in bitesize pieces

250gr chestnut or white mushrooms (sliced)

1 large onion (coarsely chopped)

1 bottle of dark beer I used Belgian Leffe Bruin (330ml)

2 bay leaves

2 cloves

4 juniper berries

2 Tbs thick apple syrup, you can replace this with Grandma’s Molasses

1/2 cup chicken stock or half a stock cube with water

1/2 Tbs mild mustard

Butter (or oil for pan frying)

I use an enameled Dutch oven to make all my stews.

Melt a little butter in a pan and add the chopped onion. Sauté until golden, add the sliced mushrooms and let these brown.

Add a little extra butter or oil when needed. Add the pieces of beef to the pan an turn up the heat to brown the meat.

When the beef has nicely browned add the cloves, bay leaves, juniper berries, stock and beer. Bring to a boil, add 2 tablespoons of molasses and make sure it has dissolved.

Turn down the heat to the lowest setting you have and let it stew for at least 3 hours with the lid slightly ajar. Stir about every 30 minutes to make sure there is still enough liquid left and nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan. Add a little water when needed.

After about 2.5 hours I taste the sauce and test the meat for tenderness. At this point you add the mustard and if you like, a bit more molasses.

The mustard adds a bit of a sour flavor and helps thicken the sauce. Optionally you can add a bit of corn starch dissolved in water to thicken it some more.

With this stew we had a very simple potato mash made with just some potatoes, butter, salt and pepper.

For me stews aren’t just for cold weather. Although in summer I prefer them with chunky fries and homemade mayonnaise.