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Witchs Cauldron Beef Stew

Witchs cauldron beef stew is a hearty American-style braise with stout, tomato paste, and tender purple potatoes. Simmered until rich and dark, it’s finished with carrots and black beans, then topped with golden puff pastry bat shapes.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 25 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 540
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Beef stew base
  • 3 lb beef chuck
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 0.25 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 red onion
  • 4 garlic
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 11.2 oz stout
  • 3 cup beef broth
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
Vegetables and finishing
  • 1.5 lb purple potatoes
  • 4 carrots
  • 1 can (15 oz) black beans
  • 1 sheet puff pastry

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Brown the beef
  1. Season the beef chuck with salt and black pepper, then toss with all-purpose flour until lightly coated. Heat the vegetable oil in a Dutch oven until hot, then brown the beef in batches so the pieces form color rather than steam.
Build the stew base
  1. In the same Dutch oven, cook the chopped red onion for 5 minutes, until softened and fragrant. Add the minced garlic and tomato paste and cook for 1 minute, stirring until the tomato paste darkens slightly.
  2. Pour in the stout and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the beef broth, balsamic vinegar, smoked paprika, dried thyme, and the browned beef.
  3. Cover the Dutch oven and simmer at a gentle bubble for 2 hours, stirring once or twice if needed so nothing sticks. Keep the heat steady so the stew stays dark and bubbling, not boiling hard.
Finish with vegetables and beans
  1. Add the cubed purple potatoes and the carrot rounds, then simmer for 45 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Stir in the black beans and simmer for 10 minutes to warm through.
Bake puff pastry bats and serve
  1. Heat the oven to 400°F and bake the puff pastry bats (cut from the sheet) until golden. Ladle the stew into bowls and float 1 pastry bat on top of each serving.

Notes

For the darkest, richest broth, make sure the stout fully reduces and that you scrape the browned bits off the bottom after adding it. Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container for up to 4 days; freeze the stew (without pastry) for up to 3 months and reheat until hot. For a lower-fat swap, trim the beef chuck and use 2 tbsp oil instead of 3.