Photos and Recipe By Melanie Hutti; Gypsy Hill Photography
As much as garden fresh vegetables are a priority in my home, my husband is a “meat and potatoes” man. He was elated to hear that I had chosen a gorgeous grass fed roast, raised locally from Kentucky Darling Meats, as the main course for our Fall meal with some special friends. We hosted quite the eclectic mix, including a soap maker, a railroad yardmaster, a tattoo artist, a yoga instructor, a doctor/mountain climber, and a model/beef farmer.
My friend Laura Kirkpatrick, along with her father Greg, run a local farm specializing in grass-fed beef. When she is not in front of the camera modeling, she is hard at work on the farm and promoting their family-centered business. I appreciate businesses who involve their children in the day-to-day work, and her daughter Willow regularly accompanies her grandfather on farm duties.
The beef cut was a beautiful marbled chuck roast, an obvious step above supermarket fare. It was browned and deglazed with a porter from the nearby Gypsy Run Brewery (a subtle nod to the name of my farm, as well as a quality beer). The onions and radishes were harvested from the backyard garden, as well as the aromatic thyme bouquet. Accompanied by mushrooms and served over mashed potatoes, this rustic fare was simple and satisfying served directly from the Dutch oven.
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Rustic Beef Bourguignon
An easy, but elegant rustic main course sets a casual tone for a relaxed meal with friends and family.
Ingredients
- 3 lbs chuck roast, cubed and patted dry with a paper towel3 cups of beer (I used a porter)
- 2 cups of beef stock
- 1 tbsp of tomato paste
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 tsp of dried thyme
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 1 lb shallots or whole small onions
- 1 lb of mushrooms, cleaned and dried
- 6-8 whole radishes
- 2 tbsp butter at room temperature
- 2 tbsp flour
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cube chuck roast and pat dry with a paper towel. Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large cast iron skillet. Sear the cubed meat until just golden on all sides. Remove the meat and set aside.
Deglaze the pan with the beer, scraping all of the brown bits from the pan. Place the meat in a large Dutch oven, adding the remaining beer, deglazed liquid, beef broth, tomato paste, salt, bay leaves, garlic, and black pepper. Cover and bake 1 1/2 hours, then add onions, radishes and mushrooms. Place the covered roast back in the oven for an additional hour (I like a firmer texture with my vegetables. Keep in the over slightly longer if you prefer them cooked through).
Remove the Dutch oven carefully from the oven. In a small saucepan, melt 2 tbs of butter and 2-3 ladle's full of liquid from the Dutch oven (less liquid for a thicker gravy). Make a paste with the flour and liquid. Whisk the mixture into the saucepan to make a rich gravy. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
Serve the beef bourguignon and vegetables over mashed potatoes. Ladle gravy over top. Garnish with fresh thyme.
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ABOUT
Melanie Hutti is the stay-at-home gypsy of Gypsy Hill Farm located in central Kentucky. She loves to travel, but equally loves her time on her farm with her husband and two teenage sons. She is a full-time Occupational Therapist in the public schools, where she uses gardening as a therapeutic activity for her students with exceptional needs. She spends her evenings and summers off in her garden and behind the camera with her hobby photography business, Gypsy Hill Photography. She loves cooking, canning, and serving as a missionary in Haiti. She is a collector of hobbies and loves anything food and nature centered.
