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Slow Cooker Recipe Contest Finalist

New Hampshire Cranberry Beef Stew
by Linda from Francestown

Ingredients:

    • 3 lbs chuck stew meat
    • 12 garlic cloves, left whole
    • 3 TBLS Canola oil
    • 1 cup cranberry juice
    • 1 cup chicken stock
    • Salt and pepper
    • 10 ounces sliced baby bella mushrooms
    • 1 medium onion, chopped
    • 1 shallot, chopped
    • 1 can whole berry cranberry sauce
    • 1 tsp dried thyme, or 6 sprigs fresh
    • 2 fresh, or one dried bay leaf

Directions for Preparation:
Dry meat with paper towels. Salt and pepper the meat. Heat 1 Tbls of oil in pan and brown the meat in batches until nicely browned over medium high heat about 2 minutes per side. Add the browned meat to a 6 quart slow cooker. Add chopped onion and shallot to the pan and cook until soft about 5 minutes, add the garlic cloves and saute a few minutes until fragrant. Add to slow cooker. Add 2 Tbls oil and add mushrooms. Saute until browned. Add mushrooms to slow cooker. Add cranberry juice to saute pan and scrape up brown bits from pan. Add stock. Heat through and add to slow cooker. Add cranberry sauce and mix. Add the thyme and bay leaves. Cook on high for 4 hours, or low for 8 hours. Beef should be very tender.

Special Tips & Tricks:
You can make a butter flour mixture to thicken the gravy by mixing 2 TBLS flour with 2 Tbls of butter and mixing it into the gravy. Makes it all the more flavorful and special. If using fresh thyme, make sure you remove the sprigs from the stew before serving or thickening the gravy.

Serve with:
Serve the stew with buttered noodles or mashed potatoes.