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1
For the marinade: Combine the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, bay leaves and wine ina large bowl or container.
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2
Add the beef, cover, and let sit in the refrigerator overnight,
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3
Cook's Note: This is a really important step, it makes a huge flavor difference.
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4
For the stew: Remove the beef from the marinade.
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5
Strain the veggies and bay leaves from the wine and discard, but reserving the wine.
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6
Preheat the oven to 350AF.
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7
Coat a large, wide pan or Dutch oven with olive oil and bring to medium-high heat.
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8
Season the beef generously with salt and toss with flour.
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9
Add the flour-coated beef to the hot pan, but be sure not to crowd the pan, so you will need to work in batches.
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10
Cook's Note: Do not flour the beef until your ready to brown it.
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11
Brown the meat well on all sides and remove from the pan to a sheet tray.
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12
Add the bacon and cook until it gets brown and crispy.
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13
Toss in the onions, carrots, celery and season with salt.
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14
Cook the mixture for 8 to 10 minutes or until the mixture starts to soften and become very aromatic.
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15
Add in the garlic and cook for 2 to 3 more minutes.
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16
Add the tomato paste and cook for for 1 to 2 minutes.
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17
Add 2 cups reserved wine and the beef.
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18
Stir to combine and cook until the wine has reduced by 1/2.
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19
Add the beef stock to just cover the surface of the beef.
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20
Toss in the bay leaves and thyme bundle.
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21
Season with salt if needed.
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22
Bring the liquid to a boil, cover the pot and put in the preheated oven.
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23
Cook the beef 2 hours, checking occasionally to add more stock, if needed.
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24
During the last 30 minutes of cooking time, add the mushrooms, potatoes, and more stock if needed.
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25
Remove the pan from the oven, and skim off any excess grease from the surface of the stew.
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26
Serve with crusty bread to sop up all the sauce and garnish with chopped fresh chives.
