Family Meals: Easy Beef Stew with Sweet Potato Topping

• olive oil↗1 tbsp tbsp
• onion↗1

  finely chopped

• carrot↗2

  finely chopped (about 130g)

• celery↗1-2 sticks

  finely chopped (about 130g)

• garlic↗2

  minced

• stewing meat400-500g g
• ground cinnamon↗1 tsp tsp
• beef stock cube, unsalted↗1
• tomato purée↗2 tbsp tbsp
• parsley↗1 x 25g pack g

  stems and leaves finely chopped separately

• sweet potato↗1kg kg

  peeled and cubed

• butter↗knob of
• grated cheddarhandful

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet. Add the onion and cook for 2 minutes, then add the carrot and celery and cook until they become soft. If needed, add a little water if the mixture sticks.

2. 2

   Add the stewing meat and cook until browned, then add the garlic and ground cinnamon and cook for another 1–2 minutes until the aromas are released.

3. 3

   Dissolve the stock cube in 500 ml of boiling water and pour it over the meat, together with the tomato purée and parsley stems. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 1 hour, after which remove the lid and simmer for another hour or until the meat is very tender. Add the chopped parsley leaves.

4. 4

   Transfer the stew to a medium-sized ceramic dish (large enough for four adults) or into 6–8 large portion molds for preparing child-sized servings.

5. 5

   Meanwhile, steam or boil the sweet potatoes until tender. Preheat the oven to 200 °C/180 °C with convection/gas setting 6. Drain the potatoes well and mash them with butter. Spread the mash over the meat, sprinkle with cheese and bake on the top rack for about 20 minutes until golden and bubbling.

6. 6

   Alternatively, cover and freeze the pie or mini‑pies for later. Before cooking, thaw thoroughly — you can leave them in the refrigerator overnight. Preheat the oven to 200 °C/180 °C with convection/gas setting 6 and bake for about 30–35 minutes until golden, bubbling and heated through.