Classic Beef Stew, · 18 servings

Heat the oven to 163 °C with a rack in the lower middle.

Pat the 4080 g boneless beef chuck, well marbled dry and season it with the ≈ 36 g salt and ≈ 7 g freshly ground black pepper.

Heat a tablespoon of the ≈ 120 g olive oil in the Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Brown the beef in three batches, about 5 min per batch, adding another tablespoon of oil for each batch. Set the browned beef aside on a plate.

Add the ≈ 660 g yellow onions, ≈ 63 g garlic and ≈ 96 g balsamic vinegar to the pot and cook, stirring and scraping up the browned bits, for about 5 min.

Stir in the ≈ 74 g tomato paste and cook for 1 min. Return the beef and its juices, sprinkle over the ≈ 94 g all purpose flour and stir for 1 min to 2 min.

Add the ≈ 1410 g dry red wine, ≈ 1440 g beef broth, ≈ 1420 g water, ≈ 0.6 g bay leaf, ≈ 1.5 g dried thyme and ≈ 19 g sugar. Stir to loosen anything stuck to the bottom and bring to a boil.

Cover the pot, move it to the oven and braise for 2 h.

Stir in the ≈ 865 g carrots and 1360 g small white boiling potatoes, such as baby Yukon Golds, cover and return to the oven for about 1 h more.

Fish out the bay leaf, taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve hot with fresh parsley, chopped, to serve, or cool and refrigerate overnight for even better flavour.