Liz's Slow Cooker Ground Beef or Venison Stew

REGINA -

From One Loaf at a Time/One Bowl at a Time: The Recipes that Brought us Together While We Remained Apart During COVID-19 (available at www.cjkatz.com and select bookstores near you)

Serves 2-4

• 1 lb ground beef or venison, browned in a skillet, drained
• 3-4 potatoes, cut into large cubes
• 3 carrots, sliced
• 1 onion, large dice
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 6 oz can tomato paste
• 2 cups beef broth, or water, or more to just barely cover the stew
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 bay leaf
• Whatever vegetables you have on hand such as turnips, parsnips, or mushrooms
• 2 handfuls fresh chopped herbs such as sage, parsley, basil, or oregano

In a slow cooker, add the browned ground beef or venison, potatoes, carrots, onion and garlic.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the tomato paste, beef broth, salt, pepper, onion powder, oregano and bay leaf. Pour over the ingredients in the slow cooker; add additional water to just barely cover. Stir well. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours. Do not remove the lid during the cooking time. If the stew is watery, remove the lid about an hour before serving; turn the slow cooker to high and let it simmer to cook off some of the liquid. Just before serving, stir in the fresh chopped herbs.

Serve in a bowl with crusty bread.