Beef Stew

Beef stew is one of my favorite rainy day dinners. I love making this in my Lodge enamel Dutch oven (awesome wedding present :-) ), it's really one of those dishes that is so easy!

2 lbs (or more) stew beef (I just cube a roast)
1 Tbsp butter
1 whole sweet onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
6-8 cups beef broth (2 boxes will work)
2 cups water (or you can use more broth)
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp ketchup
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
Dash of black pepper
1 1/2 sugar
4-7 carrots, peeled and sliced

1 cup mashed potatoes per serving (so 12 c mashed potatoes. We use instant baby reds or home style)

Brown beef in butter over medium high heat. Do this in two batches or it'll take forever! Set aside when done. Add onions, sauté until translucent. Add garlic, broth, Worcestershire, ketchup, paprika, salt, pepper and sugar. Put the beef back in and cover. Let the whole thing simmer for an hour and a half to two hours, stirring as necessary. If you need to add liquid, add water or more broth. Don't worry about adding too much, you can always cook it a bit more. Add carrots and let cook for 20 minutes. In the meantime, make the potatoes. When ready to serve, put a cup of mashed potatoes in middle of each bowl, scooping stew over the top. Enjoy :-)