Football is back in full swing. Here in Minnesota, the talk around town is all about the Vikings. Most likely you have been invited to a friend’s house to watch the game. Maybe you are planning to have people over to watch football at your house. If you are really lucky, you will attend the game and watch the Viking live. If you do, you must join in the fun with by joining the tailgate party.

Traditionally tailgate parties are all about hamburgers, hot dogs, and potato salad. People bring out the grill and make easy meals while they socialize and get pumped up for the game. Here is an idea for a tailgate party which can be made the day before and you won’t need to drag along the grill. Beef bourguignon is a great dish to bring to a tailgate party.

Beef bourguignon will warm you from the inside out on these cold fall days while you stand outside chatting and partying with your friends before the game. This is a traditional French recipe which began as a peasant dish but developed into classic French cuisine.  Instead of a bulky grill, bring a crock pot which you can plug into the cigarette lighter in the car, some paper bowls, and plastic spoons. It’s best to warm it up slowly a day or so after you make it. The flavors intensify after a day of sitting chilled in the refrigerator.

The hearty textures of potatoes and beef in the stew combined with the rich red wine and fresh herbs create a satisfying, filling and warming experience. This is ideal for outdoor eating. Besides, it’s healthier than a burger with all of the vegetables and herbs especially as I have substituted the traditionally used bacon fat with olive oil.  This recipe can feed ten people for about ten dollars. You can’t do much better than that on a budget.

Beef bourguignon:

2 ½ lbs. beef roast

¼ C. olive oil

1 1/2 C. flour

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp pepper

3 large potatoes, peeled and sliced thick

3 large carrots, sliced thick

6 cloves of garlic, sliced thick

2 C. button mushrooms, sliced and sauted in 1 tsp. butter

4 bay leaves

2 Tbsp mustard seed

1 Tbsp dry thyme

1 Tbsp dry rosemary

1 bottle burgundy wine

2 ½ C beef broth

¼ C. sugar

Salt and pepper to taste

Cut beef into 1 ½ inch cubes. Pat the beef dry with a paper towel. Mix flour with salt and pepper. Roll the cubes of beef into the flour. Pour olive oil into a pot and place on medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, but not smoking, place the cubes of beef into the oil. You want to brown each side of the cube. Do not let the meat touch each other. You may have to brown it in stages. Once the cubes are browned on all sides, place on a paper napkin. Pour the rosemary, garlic, mustard seed, and thyme into the oil. Add the onion and carrots. Let these sauté for about five minutes. Pour in the wine to deglaze the pot. Add the broth and the sautéed mushrooms. Sprinkle the remaining flour (bout ½ C.) over the potatoes. Add the beef cubes and potatoes to the pot. Make sure everything is covered in liquid. If not, add more wine and broth to cover stew. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer with lid on for two hours. Take the lid off and skim off the oil which has accumulated on the top. Add sugar. Simmer uncovered for thirty minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Tags: Beef Bourguignon, beef stew, tailgate party, tailgate party recipes, vikings

This entry was posted on Friday, November 13th, 2009 at 3:26 pm and is filed under Food, recipes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.