Beef Stew Recipe

thick sliced bacon (chopped into 1/4" wide strips)

Olive Oil to Sautee

lbs boneless beef chuck or good quality stew meat (trimmed and cut into 1" pieces)

Salt and ground black pepper

all-purpose flour

good red wine such as Soft Red (or Pinot Noir (see note above))

mushrooms (thickly sliced)

large carrots (peeled and cut into 1/2" thick pieces)

medium yellow onion (diced)

garlic cloves (chopped)

tomato paste

low sodium beef broth or beef stock

bay leaves

dried thyme

small potatoes (new potatoes, or fingerling, halved or quartered)