Beef Stew with Carrots (boeuf aux carottes)

Ingredients

• 4 ounces Thick-cut bacon
• 2 1/2 pounds Carrots (slender)
• 3 1/2 pounds Beef chuck roast trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1.5’’ chunks
• Salt
• Pepper
• 2 tablespoons Flour
• 1 tablespoon Olive oil
• 3 large Onions halved and thinly sliced
• 4 cloves Garlic minced
• 2 teaspoons Fresh thyme minced
• 3 medium Bay leaves
• 1/4 cup Brandy
• 1/2 cup Beef broth
• 1 1/2 cup Dry white wine
• 6 tablespoons Fresh parsley chopped
• 1/8 cup Half-and-half cream

Instructions

1. Blanch bacon (French bacon is neither sweetened nor smoked) by simmering in a pot of water over medium-high heat for ten minutes. Remove the bacon, dry with paper towels, and cut into thin strips. Set aside.
2. Finely chop 3 carrots and set aside. Cut remaining carrots into pieces about 3 inches long and set aside separately.
3. In medium bowl, toss beef with 1 tsp each salt and pepper, and flour to coat. In a large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, add bacon, and cook – stirring occasionally – until crisp, about 9 min. Remove bacon, drain, and reserve. Reserve fat in a small bowl.
4. Add 2 tsp of fat to pot and heat on medium-high heat until fat begins to bubble, about 40 seconds. Add half the beef in a single layer and cook without moving the pieces until deeply browned on bottom, about 3.5 minutes. Turn and cook until second side is deeply browned, 3.5 minutes longer; transfer beef to a medium bowl. Add 2 tsp reserved fat to pot and repeat procedure with remaining beef. Combine with first batch.
5. Reduce heat to medium, add 2 tsp of reserved fat, and allow to heat for a moment. Add onions, chopped carrots, and 1/2 tsp salt, stir, and cook for 5 minutes.
6. Add garlic, thyme, and bay leaves, and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 min.
7. Add brandy and broth, increase heat to high, and, using a wooden spoon, scrape bottom of pot to loosen brown film.
8. Add wine and reserved beef with accumulated juices, push beef down into liquid, bring to boil, reduce heat to very low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Add large carrot pieces and 1 tsp salt, submerge the carrots, replace cover, and continue to simmer until beef and carrots are tender, about 2 hours longer.
9. Add reserved bacon to pot and continue to simmer for 5 minuters.
10. Remove bay leaves. Add half-and-half and stir. Taste stew and adjust with salt and pepper if necessary.
11. Add 4 tbsp of parsley, stir to combine, and serve, sprinkling each portion with the remaining parsley.