RECIPE: This beef bourguignon is the ideal winter warmer

Brought to you by Aldi.

Packed full of protein and flavour, this dish is a French classic.

As temperatures plummet and Christmas approaches, we all could do with a new warming, savoury meal on our recipe roster. With succulent beef, plenty of seasonal vegetables and a rich flavour, a beef bourguignon ticks a lot of our boxes. Whether you're hosting dinner or you're just looking for some inspiration to brighten up mealtime, Aldi has delivered on the goods with this recipe that's easy to follow and packs a serious flavour punch. Top tip - serve this up on a Sunday, then set a few portions aside for meal prep for the week ahead. The best part? You can source all these ingredients from your local Aldi. To find your nearest store, check out the Aldi Store Locator right here. Ready to cook up a storm? Here's how it's done: Ingredients

• 200g Aldi Specially Selected Unsmoked Irish Streaky Bacon Rashers
• 1.3kg - Aldi Specially Selected Irish Black Angus Eye of the Round
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 300g shallots, finely chopped
• 2 stalks of celery, finely chopped
• 3 large carrots
• 2 tbsp salted butter
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 bottle of red wine
• 1 beef stock cube
• 1 small bunch of thyme
• 3 bay leaves
• 1.5 kg Aldi Specially Selected Baby Potatoes
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 350g small mushrooms
• 150g Aldi Specially Selected Balsamic Vinegar Pearl Onions
• Salt and pepper
• Fresh parsley to serve

Method

• Preheat the oven to 160 degrees.
• Dice up the Aldi Specially Selected Unsmoked Irish Streaky Bacon Rashers.
• Remove the excess fat from the Aldi Specially Selected Irish Black Angus Eye of the Round and cut into four long strips. Cut each of these strips into three large chunks. Season the beef well with salt and pepper and coat in the flour.
• Heat a cast-iron pot to a medium-high heat and add the bacon. Cook until the bacon is crispy and the fat has rendered out. Remove the bacon and set aside for later, leaving the fat in the pot.
• Add the beef to the pot – you may need to do this in two or three rounds, so you don't overcrowd the pot. Get a nice deep brown on each side and remove from the pot.
• Add the finely diced shallots, celery and chunky chopped carrots to the pot. Allow these to sweat down for 3-4 minutes. Add one tbsp of butter with the chopped garlic and tomato paste and cook for 2-3 minutes until the tomato paste has deepened in colour.
• Add one full bottle of wine and mix. Add the meat back into the pot, the beef stock cube dissolved in 300ml of boiling water, bay leaves, thyme, two-thirds of the bacon and a pinch of black pepper. Bring to a simmer, cover and place into the oven for approximately 3 hours.
• When the beef has only 30 minutes left of cooking, add the Aldi Specially Selected Baby Potatoes to a pot of water and bring to the boil. When they are tender, drain them and transfer them to two large oven trays, leaving a space between each. Smash the potatoes using something flat. Brush with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
• When the beef is tender, remove the pot from the oven, increase the temperature to 200 degrees, and place the potatoes in for 30-4o minutes, flipping halfway through that time.
• Heat a pan to high heat and add the mushrooms. Drain the Aldi Specially Selected Balsamic Vinegar Pearl Onions and once the mushrooms are well-browned, add these to the pan with the butter. Cook for a further 2-3 minutes.
• Remove the thyme and bay leaves from the beef and mix in the mushrooms and the onions. Reheat the beef bourguignon if required and top up with some additional stock to loosen the sauce if needed.
• Serve the beef bourguignon beside the smashed potatoes and topped with the remaining bacon and some fresh parsley.