WAIT! Don't leave! I know, I know. You just saw the recipe list and said, Oh hell no! But seriously! Not kidding! It's just pantry stuff, it's EASY to make, so please stay! You are REALY going to want save this for when you have an afternoon to relax in the kitchen. This is obviously not one of those quickie, 5-ingredient recipes, that you dump into the crock pot and run off to do other things. This is one of those recipes that takes part of a morning or a few hours in the afternoon to make, but is just so, SO good, and something to be proud of, that you just simply have to try it! It also makes a nice amount, too. So you have plenty of leftovers for several days! So why not take just one, short afternoon, and make this incredibly delicious, very hearty and flavorful, Man Catcher Beef Stew with Mustard Horseradish Dumplings soon this weekend!  🙂 (*By the way, this only took me 3 ½ hours, and that was much longer than it should take you, because of the figuring, writing of the recipe, and adjusting during the process that I did). So really, it's not that long to make! And most of it is just simmering time. 😉

So. Truly. This IS easy to make. And it basically goes just like this...

Cut up the beef into large cubes, trimming the excess fat away as you go along. Whisk up the seasoned flour and toss the meat in it. Sear it in your pot or pan with plenty of Crisco. Dump in most of the rest of the ingredients, scrape the yummy bits from the bottom of the pan for extra-incredible flavor, stir all, cover, and simmer. Add the veggies, simmer again. Make the super simple easy dumpling dough, spoon it onto the simmering broth, cover (and don't peek!), then thicken at the end if even necessary.

Wah. Lah.

See? It's REALLY not hard at all. And wait until you smell everything cooking....OH. MY. GAWD. Ha! You should've seen my hubby pacing, and asking every 5 minutes, ...Is it done yet?.... I'm hungry!....MAN that smells good!....You're torturing me!....When can we eat?...Is it done yet?? I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!
 

I'm thankful that he still has some of that little boy in him.

I love that they never grow up! It's hilarious!!!! 😀 Especially when he leaves the kitchen with a little stomp in his step because he, "can't take it anymore!"  😉

Honestly, this is one of the BEST of the BEST beef stews I've come up with yet! You wanna talk about incredible flavor!! So please don't pass this one by. The list is long, I know, but it's basic stuff that's repeated and goes together in minutes each, with breaks in between to catch up dishes, have a sip of wine or crack a beer, and prep the next batch! It really goes along nicely and leisurely!

Flavor doesn't come from processed cans. And soups and stews that are made in minutes, reflect just that in taste. Make something that you're proud to serve your family, your Grandmother, and your best friend.

Make a meal they'll remember,
and become a favorite childhood memory.

Note:
*I doubled my dumplings  and used my antique roaster this time, got 37 of those puffy little pillows of heaven, and there was no fussing and fighting over "who got more" this time. *If you use a large, heavy-bottomed pan or roaster, with plenty of surface space, .... I recommend that you do this, too.  It helps keep the peace. 😉

(*Pic taken after gently stirring underneath the dumplings).

Should've gotten a pretty pic when I first took the lid off, but you get the idea.

Yield: 8 hungry-man sized servings

Man Catcher Beef Stew with Mustard Horseradish Dumplings

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4.7 Stars (3 Reviews)

Ingredients

For Meat and Seasoning:

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• 2½ lbs. chuck roast, trimmed of all fat and cut into LARGE bite-sized pieces, (arm or blade roast can also be used)
• 3 Tbl. flour
• 2 tsp. regular salt
• 2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. coarse ground black pepper
• 1 tsp. horseradish powder (also called wasabi powder)
• ½ tsp. ground mustard powder
• ½ tsp. onion powder

To Make Stew:

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• 4 Tbl. (¼ cup) butter flavored shortening (yes you need this much and I like Crisco’s)
• 5 cups beef broth *RESERVE ONE TBL.
• 1 (14.5 oz.) can stewed tomatoes with the juice and coarse-crushed with your hands
• 2 medium onions, large diced
• 2 tsp. coarse ground black pepper
• 2 tsp. worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp. sweet aged balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp. Better Than Bouillon Beef Base
• 1 tsp. spicy brown mustard
• 2 tsp. prepared horseradish, extra hot non-creamy kind
• ½ tsp. dried thyme
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (3 if they're small)
• 1 large bay leaf (or 2 small ones)
• 1 Tbl. butter, quartered
• ¼ tsp. dark brown sugar, or to taste (*if carrots are bitter you may need ½ tsp.)
• 2 large ribs celery, thickly sliced
• 1 (8 oz.) bag sweet baby carrots, can sub "baby cut" or regular carrots (peeled), thickly sliced
• 3 - 4 medium-sized red or Yukon Gold potatoes (unpeeled), or small russet potatoes (peeled) and cut into hearty bite-sized chunks (as many as you like, see note)
• 8 oz. fresh sliced mushrooms, *add after veggies are cooked and right before adding the dumplings

For Dumplings:

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• 1 cup flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• ½ tsp. sugar
• ½ tsp. coarse ground black pepper
• ¼ tsp. ground mustard powder
• ½ tsp. dried minced onion
• ¼ tsp. dried parsley
• ⅛ tsp. dried thyme
• 1 ½ Tbl. cold butter, cubed very small
• ½ cup cold milk
• 1 tsp. spicy brown mustard
• ½ tsp. prepared horseradish

Instructions

Cut up beef into large, double bite-sized chunks trimming all fat. (*Beef shrinks as it cooks so go much larger than you would think.) Set aside.

In large mixing bowl, mix well the next 7 dry Seasoning ingredients.

Add large chunks of beef and toss with a large spoon to coat each piece well until all are evenly coated and all of spice and flour mixture is absorbed and stuck to the meat. (*Shaking in a bag does not work well. A bowl and large spoon works perfectly.) Set aside.

In large heavy-bottomed, non-stick stock pot that has a lid, (or large, deep, heavy bottomed stovetop-safe roaster with lid), add shortening and melt over medium-high heat. Swirl around pan and add meat all at once. Let sit at least a minute before trying to stir. Then stir now and then to brown pieces on all sides.

Add next 12 ingredients, scrape yummy bits from bottom of pan well, cover, reduce heat until simmering, and simmer for about 45 minutes until meat is getting tender, stirring only occasionally.

Add butter, dark brown sugar, celery, carrots, and potatoes, recover, bring back to a low boil over medium heat, reduce heat to low, and simmer again (covered) for another 20 minutes, or until veggies are almost done/crisp-tender. *Remember, we still have the dumplings to go yet! *Stir once or twice during simmering to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom.

For Dumplings:

While veggies are cooking, whisk together dry ingredients in medium bowl. Cut up butter into tiny pieces, add, and pinch to mix in with fingers (or use a party cutter), tossing, until a fine crumb. Stir in milk, mustard, and horseradish until moistened but not over mixed.

Stir mushrooms into pot of stew, then start dropping the dough, one spoonful at a time, onto the low-boiling broth using two (eating) teaspoons (regular silverware.) Do this quickly. Reduce heat to low and cover tightly with lid. Cover and Low boil over Medium-Low heat for 15 - 17 minutes. (I always get about 17 dumplings). DO NOT PEEK!! Leave lid on tight throughout cooking time.

Remove lid and keep to a simmer without the lid. Mix cornstarch and cold broth or water, and stir into pot to thicken ONLY if you like it extra thick. ***Add slurry into the broth only, not on the dumplings! Move a few and carefully drizzle in and in-between dumplings, then stir underneath the dumplings *carefully* as not to ruin those pretty fluffy clouds of wonderfulness! Simmer 1 more minute. Ladle into bowls, and serve! You may not even need to do this if it's already thick enough!

*Don’t forget to remove the bay leaves before serving….or.... leave one in there and whoever gets it has to do the dishes!

Leftover stew will very thick after chilling, do not add any liquid! Stew will thin back out after reheating. If you still need to thin it out a bit, just add a splash or two of hot water, beef broth, beef bouillon, or even beer.

Notes

*When adding the celery, carrots and potatoes, I always add the potatoes last, peeling and cutting one at a time, and adding what will fit leaving enough broth for everything to cook.
**I used my big antique roaster for this and doubled the dumplings. If cooking in something that has a large surface space, I highly recommend that you double them, too.They're really wonderful!! (*I got 37 of them when doubling, but you may get a few more or less).
***A small can of corn or green beans, drained, can be added at the end with the mushrooms if you'd like. See what will fit.