- 500g beef stir-fry strips
- 1 onion
- 1 celery stick
- 300g carrots
- 200g chestnut mushrooms
- 150g button mushrooms
- 750g potatoes
- 2 garlic cloves
- A handful of thyme
- 1 beef stock cube
- 1 tbsp Worcester sauce
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- 500ml-1 ltr boiling water
- 4 tbsp cold water (optional)
- 1.
Chop the beef stir-fry strips into bite-sized pieces. Warm a deep frying pan (or large pan if you’re using the hob) on a medium heat for 2 mins, then add 1 tbsp oil and the beef. Fry, stirring often, for 8 mins till the beef is well browned all over.
- 2.
While the beef cooks, peel and finely chop the onion. Trim the dry ends off the celery stick and finely slice it. From this point on follow the method either for the slow cooker or hob.
- 3.
In the slow cooker^ Take the beef pan off the heat and set aside. Scrub and trim the carrots and thickly slice them into rounds. Thickly slice the chestnut mushrooms. Halve or quarter the button mushrooms if they are large. Scrub and slice the potatoes into 1 cm-thick rounds. Peel and crush or grate the garlic.
- 4.
Arrange half the onion, celery, carrots, mushrooms, potatoes and garlic in the bottom of your 3½ ltr slow cooker. Add the thyme sprigs, crumble in the beef stock cube and drizzle in 1 tbsp of the Worcester sauce.
- 5.
Season with a good pinch of salt and pepper. Top with all the beef, then layer the rest of the onion, celery, carrots, mushrooms, potatoes and garlic on top of the beef.
- 6.
Pour in 500ml boiling water, cover the slow cooker with a lid and set to medium. Cook for 6 hrs, or cook for 4 hrs at high or 8-10 hrs set to slow.
- 7.
When the veg and beef are tender, taste the braise and add a pinch more salt or pepper if you think it needs it. Ladle the beef and veg into bowls, discarding the woody thyme sprigs, and serve straight away.
- 8.
On the hob^ Scoop the beef out of the pan and set aside on a plate. Add the onion and celery to the pan and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Splash in 4 tbsp cold water and fry, stirring often, for 5 mins to start softening the veg.
- 9.
While the veg fry, scrub and trim the carrots and thickly slice them into rounds. Thickly slice the chestnut mushrooms. Halve or quarter the button mushrooms if they’re large. Stir the carrots and mushrooms into the pan and fry for another 5 mins, stirring every so often.
- 10.
While the veg fry, scrub and thickly slice the potatoes into 1 cm-thick rounds. Peel and crush or grate the garlic.
- 11.
Stir the potatoes and garlic into the pan. Tip the beef back in with any juices from the plate. Add the thyme sprigs, crumble in the stock cube and drizzle in 1 tbsp of the Worcester sauce.
- 12.
Pour in ltr boiling water. Stir to mix, cover and bring to the boil. Once the braise is boiling, turn the heat down and simmer over a medium-low heat for 40 mins.
- 13.
Taste the braise and add a pinch more salt or pepper if you think it needs it. Ladle the beef and veg into bowls, discarding the woody thyme sprigs, and serve straight away.
