CUT POTATOES SMALL
Two-centimetre chunks become tender in the thick gravy. Large pieces can still be stubborn when everything else is ready.
ALL-DAY BEEF STEW
LOAD IT. LEAVE IT. COME HOME HUNGRY.
- SERVES
- 2 GENEROUSLY
- PREP
- 15 MINUTES
- COOK
- 7–8 HOURS LOW
- CROCKPOT
- ABOUT 1.8L
- DIFFICULTY
- VERY EASY
- NIX RATING
- ★★★★★
This is the sort of stew a small Crockpot was invented for: beef, potatoes, carrots, peas and glossy gravy all slowly becoming dinner while you get on with the day.
It uses one convenient 250g frozen block of beef mince. Give it a short microwave defrost first, load everything into the pot, switch it to LOW and let time do the heavy lifting.
No mash to make. No second pan of vegetables. One bowl, one spoon and a meal sturdy enough to put the weather back outside where it belongs.
INGREDIENTS
011 × 250g frozen block of beef mince (ideally 10–15% fat)
02300g potatoes, peeled and cut into 2cm chunks
032 medium carrots (about 180g), cut into thick coins
041 small onion, chopped
0575g frozen peas
061 garlic clove, crushed
071 tablespoon tomato purée
081 tablespoon plain flour
091 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
10½ teaspoon dried thyme
11½ teaspoon smoked paprika
121 beef stock cube
13300ml boiling water
141 teaspoon brown sauce, optional but excellent
15½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
16½ teaspoon black pepper
171 bay leaf
181 teaspoon cornflour mixed with 2 teaspoons cold water, only if needed
CUPBOARD CHECK
SHOPPING LIST
Tick what you already have. What remains is your shopping list.
18STILL NEEDED
NIX FOOD DATA · ESTIMATED
NUTRITION & COST
Approximate values per generous serving. Ingredient brands, exact weights and cooking losses will alter the final figures.
APPROXIMATE COST≈ £4.60WHOLE RECIPE≈ £2.30PER GENEROUS SERVING
- ENERGY
- 2,155 kJ / 515 kcal
- PROTEIN
- 34g
- CARBOHYDRATE
- 55g
- OF WHICH SUGARS
- 12g
- FAT
- 18g
- SATURATES
- 7g
- FIBRE
- 10g
- SALT
- 2.3g
Cost basis: Approximate UK supermarket prices apportioned to the quantities used. Buying full packs costs more, but most ingredients are cupboard and freezer staples.
Nutrition basis: Two equal servings using 250g beef mince. Values vary with the fat percentage of the beef, stock cube and sauces used.
METHOD
- 01
SAFELY LOOSEN THE BEEF
Remove all packaging and microwave the frozen beef on DEFROST until it can be broken apart and has no solid frozen centre—usually 6–10 minutes, turning and scraping away softened meat every couple of minutes. Put it into the Crockpot immediately. Do not place a rock-hard frozen block straight into a slow cooker: it can spend too long warming through.
- 02
LOAD THE VEGETABLES
Add the potatoes, carrots, onion, garlic and peas around the beef. Keep the potato pieces fairly small and the carrot coins thick so both finish together after the long cook.
- 03
MAKE THE GRAVY
In a jug, whisk the tomato purée, flour, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, paprika, crumbled stock cube, brown sauce, salt and pepper into the boiling water. Pour it evenly over everything and tuck in the bay leaf.
- 04
SET IT FOR THE DAY
Stir as well as the full little pot allows, fit the lid and cook on LOW for 7–8 hours. The Crockpot should be no more than three-quarters full. Leave the lid alone—the smell will do the checking for you.
- 05
BREAK UP AND CHECK
After about 2 hours, if you are at home, quickly break the mince into rustic chunks and stir once. If you are out, do it at the end; the stew will still work. Before serving, make sure the beef is piping hot throughout with no pink meat remaining.
- 06
FINISH THE GRAVY
Remove the bay leaf and stir well. Taste for salt and pepper. If the gravy is thinner than you like, stir in the cornflour mixture and cook on HIGH with the lid slightly ajar for 15–20 minutes.
- 07
SERVE THE WHOLE MEAL
Ladle into two deep bowls. It already contains beef, potatoes and three vegetables, so it needs no side dish—although a slice of buttered bread remains a sound bit of engineering.
THE IMPORTANT BITS
PEAS CAN GO IN EARLY
They lose their bright colour but add sweetness and body. For greener peas, stir them in for the final 20 minutes instead.
KEEP THE LIQUID MODEST
Three hundred millilitres is enough. The vegetables release more moisture and a small Crockpot barely evaporates.
A WHOLE DINNER
IN THE LITTLE POT.
Soft potatoes, sweet carrots, tender beef and peas in a rich savoury gravy—the dependable sort of dinner that has been earning its keep for generations.
ONE POT. TWO BOWLS. JOB DONE.