When we were all working or going to school, using a slow cooker – which we always called a Crock Pot – was standard kitchen practice. Two parents coming home after a long workday and a hungry kid, just a little prep the night before and we returned from our respective workplaces to a home filled with some pretty intoxicating aromas. Not to mention, dinner on the table in short order was a giant advantage.

My former Crock Pot broke some time ago and was replaced with an early model Instapot. While I love the convenience of Instapot cooking, the slow cooker insert and the high heat, don’t always work for me. So, I used the advice in the head note (link to gifted recipe here) and cooked this dish in my dutch oven using the stove. Honestly, I don’t know how it could have come out any better.

Sarah DiGregario, the recipe’s developer, is not only a food journalist, but also writes on a variety of health topics. Click on this link to find out more about her.

The cooking instructions are quite easy and adaptable. Because I am a subscriber to the New York Times, the link to this recipe is gifted here.

I’ve listed the ingredients to have on hand, but there is some flexibility. A couple suggestions that I think will be quite useful: one is that this dish easily makes use of other root veg – like turnips and rutabaga. In this iteration, I threw in some portobello mushrooms – also a good idea. For this turn, I did not use stout because I didn’t want to lose the rest of the can of Guiness. Next time, maybe.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Recipe from Sarah Digregario, December 1, 2023 NYTimes

Ingredients

• Carrots
• Parsnips
• Large Russet Potatoes
• Thyme
• Rosemary
• Chuck Roast
• Stout Beer or Beef Broth
• Maple Syrup
• Garlic cloves
• Onion Powder
• Garlic Powder
• Balsamic Vinegar