Equipment
Ingredients
Stew Base
- 800 g beef chuck, cut into 4cm cubes
- 200 g spanish chorizo, cured, cut into 1cm slices
- 20 g plain flour
- 15 ml olive oil
- 2 yellow onion, diced
- 3 carrots, cut into 2cm chunks
- 2 celery, sliced thickly
- 4 garlic, minced
- 30 g tomato paste
- 200 ml dry red wine
- 750 ml beef stock, hot
- 5 g fresh thyme, tied in a bundle
- 2 bay leaves, dried
Dumplings
- 150 g self-raising flour
- 75 g beef suet, shredded
- 60 ml whole milk, cold
- 5 g fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 2 g salt
Horseradish Mash
- 1000 g floury potatoes, peeled and cut into equal chunks
- 50 g unsalted butter, cubed
- 100 ml whole milk, warmed
- 40 g prepared horseradish
- 5 g salt
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 861 kcal
- Protein
- 46 g
- Carbohydrates
- 65 g
- Fat
- 44 g
- Fiber
- 8 g
- Sugar
- 9 g
- Sodium
- 1584 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 16 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 12 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 2 g
- Cholesterol
- 118 mg
- Potassium
- 1753 mg
- Calcium
- 209 mg
- Iron
- 6.8 mg
- Magnesium
- 111 mg
- Phosphorus
- 640 mg
- Zinc
- 12.8 mg
- Vitamin A
- 502 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 46 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.5 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 1.5 mg
- Vitamin K
- 34 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 1.3 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 4.1 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.48 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.52 mg
- Niacin
- 11.0 mg
- Folate
- 131 mcg
- Water
- 524 g
- Alcohol
- 4 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Place the Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the sliced chorizo and cook until browned, allowing the spiced red oil to render out. Remove the chorizo with a slotted spoon and set aside in a bowl.
Toss the beef cubes with the plain flour, ensuring all pieces are evenly coated. Tap off any excess.
Add olive oil to the rendered chorizo fat if the pan seems dry. Sear the floured beef in batches over medium-high heat until deeply browned on all sides. Transfer the beef to the bowl with the chorizo.
Lower the heat to medium. Add the diced onions, chunked carrots, and sliced celery to the pot. Cook until the vegetables begin to soften and pick up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
Stir in the minced garlic and tomato paste. Cook for 1 minute until the tomato paste darkens slightly. Pour in the red wine, scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to release any fond. Let the wine reduce by half.
Return the beef and chorizo to the pot. Pour in the hot beef stock, and add the thyme bundle and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and simmer gently. Alternatively, place the covered pot in a 160C/320F oven. Ensure the meat internal temperature reaches at least 74C/165F during the prolonged braise.
About 30 minutes before the stew is done, place the peeled potato chunks in the saucepan. Cover with cold salted water, bring to a boil, and simmer until tender.
While potatoes boil, prepare the dumplings. In a mixing bowl, combine the self-raising flour, salt, suet, and parsley. Add the cold milk gradually, mixing with a fork until it just comes together into a soft dough. Roll gently into 6 equal-sized balls.
Remove the lid from the stew. Drop the dumpling balls gently onto the surface of the simmering liquid. Replace the lid tightly and cook without peeking for 20 minutes.
Drain the cooked potatoes and return them to the warm saucepan off the heat. Let them steam dry for 2 minutes. Mash thoroughly, then beat in the cubed butter, warm milk, and prepared horseradish. Season with salt to taste.
Spoon a generous portion of the horseradish mash into wide, shallow bowls. Ladle the rich beef and chorizo stew alongside the mash, ensuring plenty of the paprika-infused gravy is included, and crown each portion with a steamed dumpling.
Chef's Notes
- Using a high-quality Spanish semi-cured chorizo provides an intense paprika-infused oil that forms the foundational flavour profile of the entire stew.
- For the lightest dumplings, handle the dough delicately. The steam trapped inside the pot provides the necessary lift, which is why a heavy, tight-fitting lid is absolutely crucial.
- Allowing the boiled potatoes to steam-dry after draining prevents a watery mash and helps them absorb the butter and milk much more effectively.
- The pungency of prepared horseradish can vary wildly by brand. Start with half the recommended amount, taste your mash, and adjust upwards as desired.
Storage
Refrigerator: 4 days — Store stew, mash, and dumplings in separate airtight containers.
Freezer: 3 months — Freeze the stew only; mash and dumplings will degrade in texture.
Reheating: Reheat stew gently on the stovetop. Steam leftover dumplings above the stew. Microwave mash with a splash of milk.
Troubleshooting
Dumplings are heavy, dense, or hard in the center.
Cause: The dough was overworked, or the lid was lifted during steaming, releasing crucial heat.
Fix: Cannot be fixed once cooked. Ensure extra gravy is served to help soften them.
Prevention: Mix the dough until just combined and never open the pot lid during the 20-minute steaming phase.
Stew gravy is too thin and watery.
Cause: Insufficient reduction or not enough flour coating the beef originally.
Fix: Remove the cooked dumplings. Mix 15g cornstarch with 15ml cold water, stir into the bubbling stew, and cook for 3 minutes until thickened.
Prevention: Ensure proper dredging of the beef, and allow the stew to simmer uncovered for 15 minutes before adding dumplings if it looks too thin.
Mash is gluey or watery.
Cause: Potatoes were not allowed to steam-dry, or a food processor was used to mash them.
Fix: Stir in a spoonful of instant potato flakes to absorb excess moisture, or spread onto a baking sheet and heat in a low oven briefly.
Prevention: Always let potatoes steam-dry after draining, and use a manual masher or ricer.
Cultural Context
Beef stew with suet dumplings is a cornerstone of traditional British comfort cooking, historically designed to provide maximum sustenance during harsh, cold winters. The addition of Spanish chorizo introduces a modern, pan-European flair, infusing the classic gravy with sweet smoked paprika, while the horseradish mash provides a sharp, pungent contrast to cut through the rich fats of the meat.
