Beef bourguignon. Julia Child. The two go hand in hand and so, consequently, for most of my adult life I have been too intimidated to try what I thought would be a quite difficult French classic. Thank goodness my chef friend John helped me move past that fear by sharing this recipe that is anything but complicated! My hope is that you, too, will be seduced by the simplicity of it and will give it a try yourself.
John is a highly trained (think Johnson Wales) chef whom I have had the privilege of teaching with for close to nine years now. He also happens to be a phenomenal teacher! I love sharing recipes with John and learning many of his inside tricks when it comes to cooking and baking. A few years ago John invited me to dinner and game night at his house and he served this recipe. When he opened the door to welcome me into his home, the smell was heavenly and I knew dinner was going to be superb. John was kind enough to share his mom's recipe with me and I made plans to make the dish the following weekend.
True story: my own family cheers when they find out this dish is on the menu and my 11-year-old even eats the mushrooms. I love making it for us on a Sunday because once I get it in the oven, my work is done for several hours and I can just relax.
The traditional recipe calls for Burgundy wine and while that will definitely work, my friend Angela suggested trying Pinot Noir in it so that is generally what I use.
Be sure to buy high quality stew beef and to brown it in very small batches. If you don't, the meat will turn gray but won't brown and that browning is a key part of the flavor. Also, make sure you add beef broth and wine in equal portions if you find it needs more liquid when you add the mushrooms and onions. I almost always end up adding more of both at this point as I am worried about the stew drying out. If you get too much liquid, you can always take the lid off and bake it a little longer to thicken up.
John served the beef bourguignon over Parmesan roasted garlic mashed potatoes and there was no way I would do anything but the same! His recipe came from Publix and it was perfect. As most of my regular readers know, I always reach for Sartori cheesed (found in the fine cheeses section of the grocery store) for cooking and I definitely recommend their Parmesan for this recipe. You can either shred your own or use one of their shredded blends. Sartori has an incredible MontAmore that I may try next time I make this dish. If you have not tried any of their cheeses, go to the store now to get some. Now. You will thank me.
You will need roasted garlic for the mashed potatoes and while there are plenty of recipes for roasting garlic available online, John's technique is way simpler so I suggest trying it. He advised me to just buy the pre-peeled cloves of garlic from the produce section and then place them in the middle of a square of aluminum foil, drizzle olive oil over the cloves, and then pull the corners of the foil up to twist the top like a clove. Brilliant! You then just pop the packet in the oven at 350 degrees for about half an hour or until they are soft and fragrant. I usually double wrap it just to be sure the oil does not leak out. You can bake this right along with the beef bourguignon.
The last important part of this recipe is to be sure to invite friends or family over so that you can completely convince them that you have mastered a Julia Child recipe!
Beef Bourguignon (click for printable recipe)
1/4 cup olive oil
3 lbs. stew beef
3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup beef broth
1 cup dry red wine
8 oz fresh mushrooms, quartered
1 bag of frozen pearl onions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Brown meat in three separate batches to avoid overcrowding and underbrowning. Add more olive oil if necessary as you brown. Return all meat to the pan and sprinkle with flour. Stir. Slowly add broth and wine being sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to deglaze. Add salt, pepper, and thyme.
Cover the pot and place in oven for 2 hours.
Add mushrooms and onions. Stir. Add more wine and broth in equal parts if mixture seems dry. Be sure to add enough to allow mushrooms and onions to absorb liquid.
Cover and return to oven for 1 1/2 hours. If it is not thick enough for your tastes, remove the lid and return to the oven for 10 -15 more minutes.
Serve over Parmesan Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes.
Parmesan Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes (click for printable recipe)
1 1/2 - 2 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed well but not peeled and quartered
3 Tablespoons salted butter
3 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream
6 cloves of roasted garlic
1/2 cup shaved or shredded Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Boil potatoes until they can be pierced with a fork. Drain. Return to pot and mash with a hand masher over low heat so that liquid will steam off.
While potatoes are boiling, heat cream and butter in a small saucepan over low heat until butter melts. Add slowly to mashed potatoes.
If potatoes need it, add a little more cream or milk.
Stir in cheese, garlic, salt, and better.
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