Beefy Rhinlander Stew

For some reason, I've been dying to try some lentil recipes, and I also had a few pounds of stew meat in the freezer that was calling my name.  That's how this recipe came about.  I started by using the base from this recipe. But my additions made it something completely different.  My husband truly couldn't shut up about how delicious this was.  He insisted that it tasted like his mom's bean from "back in the day" but I didn't really think pinto beans when I had this...I thought more like the best most interesting beef stew ever.


Beefy Rhinlander Stew
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 lb stew meat, cut into small chunks
5 slices bacon, cut into small pieces
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped onions
1/4 cup chopped cabbage
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
48 oz beef stock
32 oz water
8 cloves of roasted garlic (optional, I just added cuz they were left over...very good tho)
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 pinch ground nutmeg
1 pinch ground pepper
1 cup dry lentils
1 cup potatoes, diced

• brown stew meat in oil, and set aside
• add bacon to the oil and fry about 5 minutes until it begins to get crispy, then add carrots, onions, and cabbage, saute an additional 4-5 minutes
• stir in flour, stirring and mixing over heat at least one minute
• then add broth/water and stir to mix.  Add meat, lentils, and seasonings (everything but the potatoes) and cook over low heat about 2 hours.  Stir frequently to prevent scorching.  You may add more water if you prefer a thinner base. 
• after 2 hours, add potatoes and cook an additional 45 minutes

I served this with garlic knots, and they were awesome.  I over-cooked at least a minute, but they were still awesome.