Julia’s Beef Bourguignon and Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Your Tuesday NEEDS this hearty comfort dish.
Just trust me, it does.
I was feeling a little Julia Child-inspired, so I decided to make her famous beef bourguignon. But, I didn’t stop there, I also made her garlic mashed potatoes (which just may be the best I’ve had).
Sooo, just FYI, this is not a meal that you can just “whip up.” It will take hours, but it will be worth every second. Plus, it makes at least 6 servings, so you can enjoy the fruits of your labor for the whole week!
For real though, this is a perfect dish for Fall, and it’s packed with so much flavor that it will blow your mind.
Stewy, stick-to-your-ribs dishes that cook for hours in the oven are what this season is all about. Well, that and pumpkin (can you even believe I’m posting a recipe free of pumpkin, right now?).
I stuck pretty true to Julia’s original recipe, but you know I can’t help but change up a few things here and there. One thing I did, which was weird but also turned out awesome, was use a chunk of salt pork (skin cut off) instead of bacon. It was kinda perfect because it added all the porky flavor, and then seasoned the whole thing for me, so I didn’t have to add much additional salt!
Oh, and I so need to talk about these potatoes for a minute. I am obsessed with them. I love love love the garlic sauce in ’em. It’s such a brilliant way to make your potatoes creamy and garlicky. And these potatoes make the best base, ever for the delicious, rich beef bourguignon.
Basically, I can’t say enough good things about this dish. It’s a classic for a reason. Though you may spend an entire day laboring over all of it’s components, it’s going to be one of the best meals you will ever eat!
PrintJulia's Beef Bourguignon and Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients:
for the beef bourguignon:
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- around 8 ounces of salt pork, any skin removed, and sliced into 1/2-inch strips
- 3 lbs beef for stew (This will usually be sold in chunks in the meat department; if it's not, cut your meat into about 2-inch chunks. The cuts you're looking for are: rump, chuck, sirloin tip, top round, or bottom round.)
- salt and pepper
- 1 large carrot, sliced
- 1 red onion, sliced
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 and 1/2 cups red wine (preferably a Beaujolais, Cotes du Rhone, Bordeaux-St, Emilion, Burgundy, or Chianti)
- 1 cup beef stock
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1-2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- 1-2 dried bay leaves, crumbled
- 2-3 cloves garlic, smashed
for the onions:
- 1 and 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 and 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- about 2 dozen small white boiler onions, peeled
- 1/2 cup beef stock
- 3-4 fresh parsley sprigs
- 2 fresh bay leaves
- 3-4 fresh thyme sprigs
- salt and pepper
for the mushrooms:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbs unsalted butter
- 1/2 lb white mushrooms, wiped clean with a damp paper towel
for the garlic mashed potatoes:
- 2 heads of garlic, cloves separated
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 cup hot whole milk
- salt and pepper
- 2 and 1/2 lbs baking potatoes
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3-4 tbsp heavy cream
- 1/4 cup minced parsley
Directions:
for the beef bourguignon:
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Heat the olive oil in an enamel Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add in the salt pork and cook for 5-8 minutes until browned, and fat has accumulated at the bottom of the pan. Remove from the loan with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Pat the beef dry with a paper towel, and lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper. Make sure the fat is super hot, then add in the beef, in batches so as not to crown the pan, and brown on all sides. Set the browned beef aside, and add the chopped carrots and onion to the fat and cook for a couple minutes until lightly browned.
- Slice the cooked salt pork into lardons (about 1-inch long and 1/4-inch thick). Add the salt pork and beef to the vegetables. Sprinkle the flour all over and toss to coat. Place the pan in the oven uncovered to cook for 4 minutes. Remove from oven, toss again, and place back in the oven for another 4 minutes. Remove it from the oven, and reduce the heat to 325 degrees.
- Add in the wine, stock, tomato paste, herbs, and garlic and carefully stir to combine. Cover and place in the oven to 3 to 3 and 1/2 hours.
- While the meat is cooking, prepare the onions, mushrooms, and mashed potatoes.
for the onions:
- Heat the butter and oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add in the onions and salute for about 10 minutes, rolling the onions around, until slightly browned.
- Add in the stock. Tie together the herbs with some butcher's twine, and add those in, too. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 40-50 minutes until tender. Set aside.
for the mushrooms:
- Quarter the mushrooms.
- Heat the oil and butter in a skillet over high heat. When the foam from the butter begins to subside, add in the mushrooms. Shake the mushroom around for about 5 minutes until browned. Remove from heat and set aside.
for the garlic mashed potatoes:
- Fill a medium sauce pan with water and bring to a boil. Drop the garlic cloves into boiling water and boil for 2 minutes. Peel the cloves.
- Empty the water from the sauce pan. Add in 4 tablespoons of butter and heat over low heat. Add in the garlic cloves, cover, and cook for 20 minutes, until tender.
- Stir in the flour, and stir over low heat until it froths. Add in the hot milk (just heat it for a bit in the microwave), salt, and pepper, and puree in a blender. Return to pan and simmer for 2 more minutes. Set aside.
- Boil some salted water in a large pot.
- Peel and quarter your potatoes, then add to the water. Cook until fork tender.
- Press the potatoes through a potato ricer, mash by hand, or add them to the bowl of your mixer and mix until smooth. Return the potatoes to the pan and cook out any moisture over medium-low heat.
- Mix in 4 tablespoons of butter, 1 tablespoon at time. Mix in the garlic sauce, and then the cream. Stir in the parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
to serve:
- Skim the fat off of the top of the beef bourguignon. Serve over the potatoes, placing the onions and mushrooms around. (You can also add the onions and mushrooms straight to the beef and stuff now, if you want.)
- Sprinkle with more parsley. Serve with a nice glass of the wine you cooked it in!
slightly adapted from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking
