Stew Szn: Bacon and Onion Traveler Stew with Potatoes
It’s autumn. The weather is getting colder. The harvest has come and heralds in one of my favorite culinary times of year, hearty Stew Season. Whether in a crockpot, in a dutch oven on the stove top, or boiling away in a cauldron over an open flame, nothing is more satisfying in the chilly, rainy, Fall months than a hearty autumnal slow cook simmering in the kitchen. Seasonal roots and salty pork were my choice for the first stew of the season, inspired by the aroma of onion and bacon wafting from a group of European travelers camped out cooking over an open flame in the back yard on a recent end of summer trip to Cape Cod. Here’s my recipe for a hearty goulash of browns that looks like something you’d order at the tavern for the nights meal if you stopped in Westeros on the road en route to Kings Landing in Game of Thrones: My Bacon and Onion Traveler Stew with Potatoes. Winter is coming.
Ingredients
One thick slice country style ham, cubed
6 sliced thick cut bacon, cut
one whole white Spanish onion, chopped
4 medium white potatoes, chopped
one bunch green onions, chopped
one medium carrot,chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
4 oz brandy (to deglaze the pot)
32oz chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste
This is a very straight forward recipe, other than prepping the vegetables by chopping and dicing, it’s really just a matter of adding the ingredients in order. Start with the bacon and ham, to render off the fat from the bacon and use it to cook the veggies. Add the onion, green onion (save a few green onion for garnish), carrot, and garlic once the bacon pieces and diced ham have cooked thru to medium. Once all of the veg has softened and the aroma of bacon and onion have filled the house, its time to use the secret ingredient: brandy. I used about 4 oz of brandy to deglaze the bottom of the pot, loosening up all of those beautiful brown bits, before adding the potatoes and chicken stock, then simply bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and let the flavors meld together for a few hours as the potatoes cook to soft. Add water, salt, and pepper as needed. Once the stew has been fully cooked you can use a stick blender to lightly blend about half of the contents of the pot - the starch from the potatoes will naturally thicken the stock, but you don’t want to blend it too far because you still want to have some hearty chunks of meat and veg in your stew. Add salt and pepper to taste.
To serve, I simply ladled into a bowl, added a dollop of sour cream to the top and garnished with green onion and fresh cracked pepper.
As an alternative, you can add some shredded cheese on top and you essentially have a loaded baked potato stew! Something to keep warm in the cold, and easy to store by freezing in mason jars or a plastic container to later thaw out on the stovetop and enjoy!
