Balsamic Beef Stew

In a shallow bowl, combine flour, salt, and pepper. Pat beef chuck dry with a paper towel and discard paper towel .

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high heat. Dredge the pieces of beef in the flour mixture, shaking the excess off before adding the pieces to the pot of warmed oil. Work in batches to avoid crowding, keeping beef in a single layer. Cook, turning the pieces as they brown on all sides, about 6–8 minutes. Transfer the meat to a plate and reserve. If the meat starts burning, adjust your heat and add a little more olive oil if necessary.

Once you are done browning the meat, add onions to the pan. Sauté onions in the drippings until they soften and start turning a golden brown color, about 6 minutes. Add wine, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add broth and bay leaves, and stir.

Add meat back to the pot, along with any drippings from the plate. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to low. Cover and braise until meat is fork-tender, about 2 hours. Periodically check the pot and give it a stir.

After 2 hours, add carrots to the pot. (Note: You can start baking the potatoes at this point.) Re-cover and braise another 30 minutes, until carrots are tender. After 30 minutes, season the stew with salt and pepper to taste. Discard bay leaves. Stir in vinegar and simmer another 5 minutes.

Spoon over the open baked potatoes and serve!

For oven-baked potatoes, preheat oven to 425ºF. Pierce each potato with a fork about 4 to 6 times. Rub the potatoes with remaining olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Wrap each potato in foil. Place onto a baking sheet. Place baking sheet in the oven for 45–60 minutes. You know the potatoes are done when you can stick a fork into them easily.

Unwrap each potato and place each one in a shallow bowl or plate. Cut each potato in half. Using a fork, loosen some of the potato inside, almost like you are fluffing it a bit! Then add your stew on top.