Veal Stew with Garlic Mashed Potatoes

My Friday Lunch!

I'm pretty sure I spend so much more time gathering, prepping, cooking, and cleaning, than actually eating.... and it's getting annoying. I have these ideas of making cheap gourmet meals quickly... but quickly turns into  transforming my kitchen into this disaster zone that I never want to step foot in again. I went down to the store and bought myself some meats. The guy behind the counter asked how many people I'd be cooking for... and I responded... no one... just me.... I think this is really my "I like to be alone" hobby. I can be as creative or boring as I please without being judged or critiqued. I like to share, but I also don't trust myself feeding other people.. since I'm still in my experimental stages. I bought a pound of veal stew meats because the price was just right. I realized buying meat has cut into my grocery budget significantly. :( Oh well, I figured 1 pound of veal will last me at least 3 meals (almost 5 bucks a pound... so if I portion it correctly... these meals are still within budget.) 

This was my first time cooking with veal too. I keep getting mixed up with the whole veal, venison, and lamb... thing... my palate for meat has been simple.. aka chicken, pork, and beef.... but Mollie's had a sale on veal, so I looked it up.... there's so much controversy with this type of meat... and i feel for it. I don't want to eat meat that was from an animal that had been treated inhumanely... and hopefully Mollie buys them from a good farm.... At first glance, veal looked like a combination from chicken and pork. It was slightly pink and white... not at all like the redness in beef.... it looked healthier too. Cooked veal tastes really different than beef. I don't know to explain it... but it was tasty regardless. 

I feel like all the stews I make will look basically the same. It'll have root veggies... meat.. and some sort of sauce. This was my first stew without using red wine. I used white wine instead. I cooked it for 1.5 hours in my dutch oven... and made a side of garlic mashed potatoes. 

Veal Stew

3 servings 

1 pound veal stew meat 

1/4 cup AP flour 

2 tbsp oil 

2 cloves garlic minced

1/2 onion chopped

1 carrot 1/2 inch slices

1 potato cubed

1/2 cup white wine

1 cup beef stock

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 tsp herbs de provence 

1 tbsp tomato paste 

1. Dry off the veal with a paper towel and coat with flour. Heat oil in a large dutch oven over med hi heat. Brown the meat for a few minutes. Remove meat. 

2. Add garlic and onions, sauté until the onions are soft. Add in potatoes and carrots. Deglaze the brown bits with wine (be sure to scrap the bottom of the pan and get up all those bits.) Add in everything else (including the meat). Cover and cook for 1.5 hours over medium heat. Stir every 15 minutes, add more liquid if needed. 

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

2 potatoes peeled and quartered

2 cloves garlic minced

1 tbsp salted butter 

1/4-1/2 cup milk

2 tbsp sour cream 

1 tsp salt

pepper 

1. Place the potatoes into a large pot and pour cold water over it. Bring to a boil. Remove and drain when they are fork tender. 

2. Using a large ricer, rice the potatoes. 

3. Heat butter in a large sauce pan, and brown the garlic. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes. Add in the riced potatoes, sour cream, and milk. Add milk to desired consistency. Season to taste.