Slow cooked beef & potato stew

What you’ll need  

-2 tbs olive oil

-2kg Oyster Blade Steak, cut into 3cm pieces

-200g brown mushrooms, thickly sliced

-1 brown onion, roughly chopped

-1 large carrot, roughly chopped

-2 celery sticks, roughly chopped

-¼ cup plain flour

-1 pack of French onion soup mix

-3 cups of beef stock

-8 thyme sprigs

-50g garlic butter

-6 Red Royale potatoes, cut into cm-thick slices

-½ cup shredded pizza cheese

-Thyme sprigs, extra, to serve

Caramelised onion

-20g butter

-2 brown onions, thickly sliced

-1 garlic clove, crushed

-1 tbs brown sugar

-1 tbs balsamic vinegar

-2 tbs salt-reduced beef stock

-1 tsp thyme leaves

What to do  

1. Set up the slow cooker & heat half the oil in a large large  pan over high heat. Add the beef in batches and cook for 2-3 minutes, until brown, turning occasionally. Transfer to the slow cooker.

2. Heat half the remaining oil in the pan. Add the mushroom and cook, turning, for 5 mins or until golden. Transfer to the Slow cooker. Heat remaining oil in the pan. Add the onion, carrot and celery and cook,

stirring, for 5 mins or until onion softens. Add to the slow cooker and sprinkle with flour. Add the soup mix, beef stock and thyme sprigs and cover and cook on medium for 4-5 hours, the longer the better!

3. Meanwhile, to make the caramelised onion, melt the butter in a large frying pan over low heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally for 15 mins or until the onion softens and begins to caramelise. Add the sugar, vinegar and stock and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 mins or until onion caramelises. Add the thyme and season with pepper.

4. After 4-5 hours, check the beef and if it falls apart then it’s good to go. Add the potatoes and cook for a further hour until potatoes are soft.

5. Arrange the caramelised] onion over the beef mixture. Option to Bake, uncovered, if so add the cheese

and bake for a further 10 mins or until the cheese melts and is golden. Sprinkle with extra thyme sprigs and

season with pepper to serve with rice or mashed potato! YUM!