Ingredients

• 900 g diced beef chuck900 g
• ¼ cup plain flour, for dusting30 g
• 2½ tbsp olive oil40 g
• 2 large brown onions, sliced300 g
• 4 carrots, cut into thick rounds280 g
• 3 celery sticks, sliced150 g
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed16 g
• 2 tbsp tomato paste50 g
• 1 cup red wine250 g
• 3 cups beef stock750 g
• 600 g potatoes, cut into large chunks600 g

Method

1. Pat the beef dry with paper towel — wet meat will not brown. Toss it with the flour and a good amount of salt and pepper.
2. Heat a third of the oil in a heavy casserole over high heat. Brown the beef in three batches, giving each piece room and turning only when it releases from the pan. Around 4 minutes a batch. Crowding the pan is the mistake that costs you the whole dish. Set the beef aside.
3. Lower the heat to medium and add the remaining oil, then the onion, carrot and celery. Cook for 10 minutes until softening and picking up the brown residue from the base.
4. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook 2 minutes more.
5. Pour in the wine and scrape hard at the base of the pot until nothing is stuck. Simmer for 3 minutes.
6. Return the beef with any juices, add the stock, and bring to a bare simmer — the surface should barely move. Cover and cook for 2 hours, on the stove or at 150°C in the oven.
7. Add the potatoes and cook uncovered for a further hour, until the beef pulls apart under a fork and the sauce has thickened.
8. Taste and season. If the sauce is thinner than you want, lift out the solids and boil it down for a few minutes.