Braised Beef & Vegetable Stew

• Open package of beef and drain off any excess liquid. • Place in a medium bowl (large bowl for 8 servings); season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle flour over beef; toss to coat. • Heat a large drizzle of oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add beef in a single layer and cook, undisturbed, until deeply browned on one side, 1-2 minutes. (For 8, you may need to work in batches.) Wash out bowl. • Turn off heat; transfer beef to bowl used for seasoning (it’ll finish cooking in the next step).

• Heat a large drizzle of oil in pot used for beef over medium-high heat. Add carrots, potatoes, and onion; cook, stirring frequently, until onion is fragrant, 1-2 minutes. • Stir in tomato paste and thyme; cook, stirring and scraping bottom of pot, until fragrant, 15-30 seconds more. • Stir in crushed tomatoes, Vidalia onion paste, stock concentrate, demi-glace, garlic powder, celery salt, and 2 1⁄2 cups water(4 1⁄2 cups for 8 servings). • Transfer seared beef to pot; stir to combine. Bring stew to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low.