Thyme-Braised Beef, Carrots and Potatoes

Ingredients

• Beef and cooking liquid

  700 g boneless beef chuck eye roast

  raw edible weight after trimming external fat and tough silverskin; cut into 3–4 cm chunks

• 20 g olive oil

  entire cooking oil allowance

• 200 g yellow onion

  peeled edible weight; cut into 1 cm dice

• 900 g water

  900 ml measured cooking water; use hot drinking water

• 4 g fine table salt

  entire added salt allowance

• 2 g dried thyme

  dried leaves, not fresh sprigs

• Vegetables

  300 g carrots

  peeled edible weight; cut into 2 cm chunks

• 600 g white potatoes

  peeled edible weight; waxy or all-purpose, cut into 3 cm chunks

Directions

1. Prepare the beef and vegetables

   Measure every ingredient separately. Peel and cut the onion, carrots and potatoes as listed. On a separate clean board, trim the chuck, cut into 3–4 cm pieces and pat dry. Do not rinse raw meat. Wash hands and clean raw-meat tools and surfaces. Keep beef refrigerated until the oil is hot; keep prepared potatoes covered and use promptly.

2. Add and heat the olive oil

   Pour all 20 g olive oil into the empty heavy casserole. Heat over medium-high heat until shimmering, without smoking.

3. Add the first batch of beef

   Carefully add half the dry beef in a single layer with gaps between pieces. The raw meat should sizzle on contact. Leave the remaining beef refrigerated until its batch.

4. Brown the beef and set it aside

   Brown the first batch for about 6–8 minutes, turning to colour several sides. Transfer to a heatproof bowl. Repeat with the remaining beef in the same oil, then transfer it too. Retain all meat juices and the browned layer in the pot. The beef is not cooked through yet.

5. Add the onion

   Reduce to medium heat and add all 200 g diced onion to the same pot. Keep the browned beef aside.

6. Soften the onion

   Cook for 7–8 minutes, stirring, until the onion softens and turns lightly golden. Lower the heat if the base starts to darken too quickly; do not let it burn.

7. Add the hot water and deglaze

   Pour in all 900 g measured hot water, keeping clear of steam. Scrape the base with the wooden spoon to dissolve the brown cooking layer. The liquid will be a light brown broth, not a thick gravy.

8. Return the browned beef

   Return all browned beef and every collected juice from its bowl to the casserole. Spread the chunks through the liquid.

9. Add the measured salt

   Add all 4 g fine table salt. There is no stock cube, salted broth or extra salt at the end.

10. Add the dried thyme

    Sprinkle all 2 g dried thyme leaves into the pot and stir through. No fresh herb garnish is added later.

11. Braise the beef gently

    Bring to a gentle simmer, then cover and reduce to low heat. Cook for about 1 hour 40 minutes to 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until a fork starts to enter the beef with only slight resistance. Keep a few lazy bubbles rather than a rolling boil. If it is still tough, continue before adding the vegetables. Keep liquid around the meat; if the pot unexpectedly dries, add only enough hot water to restore the level.

12. Add the carrots

    Add all 300 g prepared carrot chunks to the nearly tender beef and push them into the broth.

13. Add the potatoes

    Add all 600 g prepared potato chunks. Gently turn the mixture so the vegetables settle into the liquid without breaking the beef.

14. Finish until everything is tender

    Cover and simmer gently for 30–40 minutes, until the carrots and potatoes are tender when pierced and the beef yields easily to a fork. Stir gently once or twice. If the broth is too loose, remove the lid for the last 5–10 minutes, watching the liquid level. Check several large meat pieces with a clean thermometer: at least 145°F (63°C), followed by the resting stage. Tender braised chuck will normally be much hotter; temperature alone does not mean it is tender.

15. Rest and serve four portions

    Turn off the heat, cover and rest for 10 minutes, exceeding the minimum 3-minute beef rest. Divide all beef, vegetables and broth equally among four bowls. No side dishes or extra toppings are included. Refrigerate leftovers in shallow containers within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F (32°C). Keep at 40°F (4°C) or below for up to 3 days; reheat to 165°F (74°C) throughout.