Beef Goulash with Paprika

📝 Ingredients

• 700 g braising beef (chuck or shin), in 3 cm cubes
• 800 g waxy potatoes
• 2 onions
• 2 red peppers
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp sweet paprika + 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp caraway seeds (or cumin)
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 400 g tinned chopped tomatoes
• 750 ml beef stock (1 stock cube dissolved in hot water)
• 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt, pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Large cast-iron casserole dish with lid
• Wooden spoon
• Knife
• Chopping board
• Peeler
• Kitchen paper

📖 Steps

1. Take the meat out of the fridge 15 minutes before cooking and pat it dry thoroughly with kitchen paper so it browns better. Slice the onions, chop the garlic and cut the deseeded peppers into 1 cm strips.
2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in the casserole over a high heat. Sear the meat in two batches, 4 to 5 minutes per batch, until well browned on all sides. Too many pieces at once make it boil instead of brown.
3. Set the meat aside, lower to a medium heat and add the rest of the oil and the onions. Soften them for 8 minutes, stirring, until tender and golden, then add the garlic and caraway and cook for 1 minute.
4. Take the casserole off the heat, add both paprikas and the tomato purée, and stir for 30 seconds. Off the heat, the paprika can't burn: burnt paprika turns bitter and ruins the whole dish.
5. Return the meat and its juices, and add the peppers, chopped tomatoes, stock and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook gently for 1 h 15 over a low heat, stirring occasionally.
6. Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and cut them into 3 cm cubes. Add them to the casserole after 1 h 15 of cooking, pushing them down into the sauce, and add a little water if they aren't covered.
7. Continue cooking, covered, for 30 to 35 minutes, until the meat pulls apart with a fork and the potatoes are meltingly tender. If the sauce is too thin, finish with 10 minutes uncovered.
8. Remove the bay leaves, taste and adjust the seasoning. Leave to rest off the heat for 10 minutes before serving: like all stews, goulash is even better reheated the next day.