Name: One-Pan Big Batch Beef Stew
Total time: 5 h
Ingredients: 4 onions , chopped coarse; Salt and pepper; 5 garlic cloves , minced; 2 tablespoons tomato paste; 1 cup all-purpose flour; 1 cup red wine; 4 cups chicken broth; 7 pounds boneless beef chuck-eye roast , pulled apart at seams, trimmed, and cut into 1-inch chunks; 2 pounds carrots , peeled and sliced 1 inch thick; 3 bay leaves; 1½ tablespoons minced fresh thyme or 1½ teaspoons dried; 3 pounds red potatoes , unpeeled, cut into 1-inch chunks; 1 cup frozen peas; ½ cup minced fresh parsley; 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Why This Recipe Works

Few things are as satisfying as a hearty bowl of old-fashioned beef stew, except perhaps being able to share it with a dozen or so of your closest friends and family. Whether cooking for a party or just to stock the freezer, a roasting pan makes for a supereasy way to turn out classic beef stew with fall-apart meat and tender vegetables draped in a rich brown gravy. We chose chuck-eye roast for its great flavor and abundance of intramuscular fat and connective tissue, which made it well suited for long, slow, moist cooking. We bypassed the need to sear the meat by browning onions to develop fond in the pan on the stovetop. Garlic and tomato paste added a considerable flavor boost. To thicken our stew, we stirred in flour with the aromatics before adding red wine and chicken broth (which provided more complexity compared with beef broth). We seasoned the meat with salt and pepper before placing it in the pan, along with carrots, bay leaves, and thyme, and then we covered the pan and popped it in the oven to give the meat and carrots a head start. After an hour and a half we added potatoes and roasted everything for another 2 hours, ensuring the spuds wouldn’t fall apart. We tossed in frozen peas just before serving, as they needed only a few minutes to warm through. A little parsley sprinkled at the end made for a fresh finishing touch. With minimal fuss, we had created a simple but intensely flavored old-fashioned beef stew, with plenty to share.

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Melt butter in 16 by 12-inch roasting pan over medium-high heat (over 2 burners, if possible). Add onions and 1½ teaspoons salt and cook until onions are softened and lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes.

Stir in garlic and tomato paste and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in flour and cook, stirring constantly, until golden, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in wine, scraping up any browned bits. Gradually whisk in broth, smoothing out any lumps. Season meat with salt and pepper and add to pan. Add carrots, bay leaves, and thyme.

Bring stew to simmer. Off heat, cover roasting pan loosely with aluminum foil. Transfer pan to oven and cook stew for 1½ hours.

Stir in potatoes and continue to cook in oven, covered, until meat is tender, 2 to 2½ hours.

Remove pan from oven. Discard bay leaves. Stir in peas and let heat through, about 5 minutes. Stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.