Go Back

Swedish Pot Roast

A 1950s variation on a traditional beef stew
Print Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Servings: 6
Course: Soup
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 lbs Beef Chuck Roast, cut into 1" dice and trimmed of fat
  • 1/2 Cup All-purpose flour
  • 2 TSP salt
  • 1 TSP ground black pepper
  • 2 TBSP Garlic Powder
  • 1 TBSP Cinnamon
  • 1 TSP ground Cardamom
  • 1 TSP ground ginger
  • 1 TBSP Grillmaster Montreal Steak Seasoning (optional)
  • 2 TBPS Olive oil, divided
  • 2 TBSP butter (salted or unsalted)
  • 1 C Diced Onion (yellow, white, or red) (about one onion)
  • 1/2 C Diced celery (about two stalks)
  • 1/2 C Diced carrots (about 2 carrots)
  • 2 TBSP minced garlic (2-3 cloves, or more, to taste)
  • 1 C dry red wine (I used Barefoot Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, but any dry red will do)

  • 2 TBSP Tomato paste
  • 2 TBSP Worcestershire Sauce
  • 4 C Beef broth or beef stock
  • 1/2 C Brown sugar
  • 1.5 lbs gold potatoes, in 1" dice (about four potatoes)
  • 1/2 lb carrots, in 1" pieces
  • 1/2 lb Acorn squash, in 1" dice (about half a squash)
  • 3 dried bay leaves
  • 1 TBSP dried thyme (more or less, to taste)
  • 1 TSP dried rosemary

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven or covered casserole pan

Method
 

  1. Pre-heat your oven to 325 degrees. Be sure the racks are positioned so that there is room in your oven for your casserole dish and it's lid.
  2. Dice your roast into 1" chunks (avoid pre-cut roast meat). Trim gristle and fat if needed.
  3. Prep the mire poix, i.e., dice the onion, carrots, and celery.
    1 C Diced Onion (yellow, white, or red) (about one onion), 1/2 C Diced celery (about two stalks), 1/2 C Diced carrots (about 2 carrots)
  4. Put your casserole on your cooktop, add the olive oil, and apply medium high heat. it will take a bit for the oil to become glossy, so you can do this while prepping the meat and flour mixture.
  5. Place the flour, salt, pepper, cinnamon, garlic powder, ginger, pepper, and Montreal Steak seasoning if using in a one gallon plastic bag. Shake to mix the ingredients, then add the diced beef to the bag and shake again to coat the meat.
    1/2 Cup All-purpose flour, 2 TSP salt, 1 TSP ground black pepper, 1 TBSP Cinnamon, 1 TSP ground Cardamom, 1 TSP ground ginger, 1 TBSP Grillmaster Montreal Steak Seasoning (optional), 2 TBSP Garlic Powder
  6. IN BATCHES, add the coated meat to the pan and saute about 3 minutes per side. Leave room between each chunk of meat for proper browning to occur. Usually this will mean you'll need 3-4 batches to brown the meat. Add olive oil as needed between batches. Place the browned meat on a plate or bowl. You will probably have flour left over in the bag when you're done. If so, save it for later.
  7. Reduce the heat to medium and add the butter to the pan. Once it's melted, add the diced carrots, onions, and celery to the pan and saute until soft--about three minutes.
    2 TBSP butter (salted or unsalted)
  8. Add the garlic and stir until fragrent, about 30 seconds.
    2 TBSP minced garlic (2-3 cloves, or more, to taste)
  9. Add the tomato paste, and stir for about another minue.
    2 TBSP Tomato paste
  10. Measure out about 1-2 TBSP of the flour mixture from your plastic bag and sprinkle into the mire poix mixture. (use 2 TBSP only if you want a thicker stew). If you don't have that much left over in the bag, just use flour without the other seasonings.
  11. Cook and stir until the flour is fully absorbed, about another minute.
  12. Next, drizzle the wine into the mixture, deglazing the pan and scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any browned bits into the stew. Cook until the wine is slightly reduced and the mixture is thickend and glossy.
    1 C dry red wine (I used Barefoot Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, but any dry red will do)
  13. Add the Worcestire sauce and then drizzle in the Beef stock (or broth if using). Add the brown sugar while adding the beef stock.
    2 TBSP Worcestershire Sauce, 1/2 C Brown sugar
  14. Add the beef back to the pot, including any accumulated juices.
  15. Add the remaining vegetables and and spices to the pot.
    1.5 lbs gold potatoes, in 1" dice (about four potatoes), 1/2 lb carrots, in 1" pieces, 3 dried bay leaves, 1 TBSP dried thyme (more or less, to taste), 1 TSP dried rosemary, 1/2 lb Acorn squash, in 1" dice (about half a squash)
  16. Stir, making sure that the beef and vegetables are covered by the liquids and that the spices are submerged (so they don't burn)
  17. Cover, and place in your oven for at least two hours. Cook for as much as three hours to get the beef fork-tender.
  18. Discard the bay leaves and check the stew for consistency and flavor, adding salt to taste. If you want a thicker stew, simmer it on the cooktop to the desired thickness.

Notes

If you use Yukon gold potatoes, you don't need to peel them first.  Of course, you must peel and de-seed the Acorn Squash.  Acorn squash is easy to cut and peel if you know how--check out this video.