No-Beef Stew

I recently had a craving for beef stew but Michael doesn't eat beef. Hmm...conunrum. Then I was shopping at Whole Foods and what to my wondering eyes should appear, but bison stew meat...on sale! So, I searched Epicurious.com for a good beef stew recipe that sounded like what my mom used to make when I was little. I found this recipe for Irish Beef Stew. Based on Michael's no-beef preferences and some of the reviewers' comments left at the Epicurious site, I came up with this (awesome, if I do say so myself) recipe.

Ingredients

• 2 Tblsp olive oil
• 3 Tblsp flour plus salt and pepper to taste
• 1.5 - 2 lbs. bison stew meat cut into 1-inch pieces
• 6 large garlic cloves minced
• 5 tsp vegetable Better than Bouillon
• 5 cups water
• 2 Tblsp tomato paste
• 1 Tblsp sugar
• 1 Tblsp dried thyme
• 1 Tblsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 bay leaves

• 2 Tblsp olive oil
• 1.5 lbs red potatoes cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cups chopped baby carrots
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 Tblsp cornstarch

Directions

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, dredge the bison meat in the flour/salt/pepper mixture. Sauté meat until brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute. Add Better than Bouillon, water, tomato paste, sugar, thyme, Worcestershire sauce and bay leaves. Stir to combine. Bring mixture to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, then cover and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, heat oil in another large pot over medium heat. Add potatoes, onion and carrots and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté vegetables until golden, about 20 minutes. Add vegetables to bison stew. Simmer uncovered until vegetables and bison are very tender, about 40 minutes. Discard bay leaves. Tilt pan and spoon off fat. Whisk cornstarch in cold water and then stir into stew to thicken.