Beef and mushroom braised stew recipe

Can you tell I am feeling really cozy and in the mood for comfort food today? This is another recipe I found in Taste of Home and the thing that drew me to this was that it was beef and mushrooms rather than the normal beef, potatoes, and carrot stew. I tend to find potatoes to be dry when I am eating them in a stew and, as we all know, I HATE cooked carrots. So this recipe is perfect because I LOVE mushrooms, they are basically my favorite thing to eat and I want to add them to everything I make, and I try pretty hard to do so! I think this is a unique way to make stew and will be an amazing meal on a cold Saturday or Sunday night.

What you'll need:

1 boneless beef chuck roast (2-3 lbs), cut into 1 in cubes

3 tbsp olive oil

1 lb sliced fresh mushrooms (I would do baby bellas)

1 medium onions, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 carton beef broth (32 oz.)

1 cup dry red wine

1/2 cup brandy

1 tbsp tomato paste

1/4 tsp each dried parsley flakes, rosemary, sage, tarragon, thyme, salt and pepper

3 tbsp flour

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Sprinkle beef with salt and pepper. In an ovenproof dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat; brown beef in batches. Remove from pan.

2. In same pan, add mushrooms and onions; cook and stir until tender. Add garlic and cook for an additional minute. Stir in beef broth, wine, brandy, tomato paste and herbs. Return beef to pan and bring to a boil. 

3. Bake covered for 1 hour. In a bowl, mix flour and water until smooth; gradually stir into stew. Bake covered for 30 minutes or until sauce is thickened and beef is tender. Skim fat and serve with mashed potatoes.