Best Ever Ground Beef “Stew”

Isn’t it so fun to have some real comfy food?

Just be sure you are using 100% grass fed beef or bison or venison. This is one of those dishes that takes a bit more time. We like to make two at a time and freeze one for the following week.  When you are not cleansing, you can make this into a YUMMY Shepherd’s pie  (with mashed potatoes on top!) and we included the recipe in parentheses…

Use fresh herbs if you can as this is where the flavor is – as well as (extra) garlic and onions.

• 2 Tablespoon butter
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 leek, diced
• 1 medium fennel bulb chopped fine
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 whole tomatoes – fresh or canned
• 2 pounds lean ground 100% grass fed beef
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme (plus 2 more), 1 tablespoon oregano, 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary all chopped fine
• 1 1/2 cups garden peas
• 3 Tablespoons parsley minced

 

Mashed Potatoes, recipe follows

• 2.5 pounds Organic Yukon gold potatoes, quartered
• 8 Tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup heavy cream from grass fed cows
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven at 350 degrees F.

Slice the mushrooms into thin slices and cook in 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil until cooked through. Sprinkle with salt and 2 tablespoons more fresh thyme. Set aside as you will place the mushrooms on top of the cooked meat mixture (and under the mashed potatoes, if you are making the Shepard’s pie.)

Add butter and oil to a large skillet on medium heat. Sauté onions, carrots, celery, fennel and garlic, until just soft, about 10 minutes. Add the ground beef and cook until beef is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook and simmer for another 10 minutes. Mix in peas – if using frozen, it is ok if they are still frozen here. Transfer mixture to an oven-proof baking dish and spread evenly over the bottom.  Add the cooked mushrooms on top of the meat (then place potato on top of the  mushroom layer and spread out evenly) Cook in a  preheated oven until browned about 20 minutes. Spoon out the beef stew or shepherd’s pie and serve.

(Fill a large saucepan with cold water and 2 tablespoons of salt. Add potatoes to the water and bring to a boil and cook the potatoes until soft about 20 minutes. Once the potatoes are soft, drain the potatoes and place them back into the saucepan for mashing. Add butter and cream and begin to mash potatoes into a semi smooth consistency. Season with salt and pepper.)