One of the things I love about Fall in Virginia is taking long walks in the Shenandoah mountains and forests.
But these treks usually take all day. So after a long day in the autumn woods, I love coming home and having dinner prepped and ready to go. This is one of our favorite fall meals and the kids love to take their bowl of stew and eat around the outdoor fire pit. I serve this stew with a sourdough pumpkin, rosemary, and dried cranberry bread and then serve my favorite apricot oatmeal bars.
I hope you all have a wonderful autumn weekend!
Fall Beef & Apple Cider Stew
This is another one of my made-up recipes where I combined and old Good Housekeeping Cookbook recipe with an article I found about braising beef with apple cider. I told out some of the other root veggies and added the butter and parsley to even out the flavors. This takes a bit of prep work, but it's easy to make and be doubled. Eat the leftovers within 3 days, and unfortunately it doesn't freeze well.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds beef stew meat cut into 1-1 1/2" pieces (I like bottom round or rump roast)
- 2 slices bacon cut into 1/2" pieces
- 1 Tablespoon salted butter
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 can condensed French onion soup (10 1/2 oz)
- 1 cup apple cider
- 1 pound sweet potatoes peeled, cut into 1" pieces, about 3 cups
- 1/3 cup dried unsweetened cranberries
- Fresh chopped parsely for garnish
Instructions
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In a large stockpot over medium heat, cook the bacon until it's crispy. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and place on a plate lined with paper towels. Set said.
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In a large bowl, season the meat chunks with Kosher salt and pepper.
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Add the butter to the stockpot over medium heat. Once it melts, add the meat chunks and sear the meat until it's brown. You may need to increase the heat to get a good sear. And it may take 2-3 batches, depending on the size of your pot.
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Add the bacon back into the stockpot with the meat. Then stir in the French onion soup and the apple cider and bring it to a low boil. Reduce to a simmer. Cover tightly and simmer for 1 hour. If the stew still seems liquid-y, cook for another 15-30 minutes. But you don't want to cook off all the cider.
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Stir in the sweet potatoes and cranberries. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cover the pot tightly. Cook for another 20-30 minutes until the beef and sweet potatoes are tender and begin to fall apart. Serve with freshly chopped parsley on top.
