French beef and carrot stew

Method

1. Keep one quarter of the onion whole and stud it with the clove; slice the rest. Peel the garlic, crush 3 cloves and reserve the remaining half-clove to finish. Peel the carrots and cut into 4 cm lengths. Thoroughly pat the beef cubes dry with kitchen paper and season with 1.5 g salt just before browning.
2. Heat the oil in a 24 cm casserole over a high heat until shimmering. Add half the beef cubes without letting them touch and leave untouched for 2 minutes: they release by themselves once a dark brown crust forms. Turn to brown 2 more sides, allowing 6–7 minutes per batch. The bottom of the casserole should brown without blackening; lower the heat a little if it smokes. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the second half.
3. Lower the heat to medium and soften the sliced onion for 5 minutes, scraping the bottom, until translucent with golden edges. Add the crushed garlic and tomato purée and stir for 2 minutes, until the purée darkens and sticks slightly to the bottom. Sprinkle in the flour and stir for another 1 minute, until it coats everything and is no longer visible. Pour in the wine, scrape up all the browned juices with a wooden spoon and bubble for 3–4 minutes, until reduced by half and no longer smelling of alcohol.
4. Return the beef and its juices, then add the carrots, clove-studded onion quarter, 300 g hot water, thyme, bay, 6 turns of the pepper mill and 2 g salt. Stir, scraping the bottom to dissolve the flour. The liquid should come two-thirds of the way up the meat; add a little of the reserved 150 g water if needed. Bring to a simmer over a medium heat, about 3 minutes, then cover.
5. Cook over a very low heat for 2 hours: only a few small bubbles should break around the edges. If the lowest heat makes the casserole boil, place a heat diffuser underneath, or cook in a 150°C oven, covered, for the same time. Stir and scrape the bottom every 30 minutes, adding a little reserved water if the sauce starts to catch. During the last half-hour, peel the potatoes and cut into 3 cm pieces, or scrub baby potatoes and leave whole, then keep in a bowl of cold water. Test a piece of beef: a fork should enter with slight resistance at the centre. If still springy, cook for another 20–30 minutes before adding the potatoes.
6. Drain the potatoes and push them between the beef and carrots so they are at least half submerged in the sauce. If they stick out too far, add the remaining reserved water, boiling hot. Season the potatoes with 2 g salt. Increase to a medium heat until simmering again, 3–4 minutes, then cover and cook at a gentle simmer for 20 minutes, turning the pieces on top once. Remove the lid and cook uncovered for another 15 minutes, allowing the sauce to reduce and thicken. The beef should fall apart with a fork and the tip of a knife pass through the largest potato piece without resistance.
7. Remove the bay leaves and the onion quarter with its clove. Tilt the casserole and spoon off any fat that rises to the surface. If the sauce is still too thin, let it bubble over a medium heat for 5 minutes: it should be brown and glossy, and coat the back of a spoon. Taste and adjust with the remaining salt, about 1.5 g. Turn off the heat and rest, covered, for 5 minutes.
8. During the rest, finely chop the parsley and half-clove of garlic together. Divide the beef, vegetables and sauce between two shallow bowls, scatter over this persillade at the last moment and add 3 turns of the pepper mill. Serve with bread for the sauce, if you wish.

Variants and their steps remain below the recipe.