Mum's Potted Beef & Gravy

This isn't that stuff that you buy in a can. It's nothing like that. At least I don't think so. I've never tried canned potted meat.



My mom used to make this all the time growing up. It was one of my favorite meals. It included Mum's awesome gravy... and all of those are winners with me!!

I can remember every time she'd make it, my dad would say it tasted like bear meat. I never really knew if he was serious. So I called Mum when I made it last week to ask. She said that he did think it tasted like bear meat. While my dad was stationed at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska in the late 50s or early 60s, he befriended a guy named Baney. (I'm guessing that's a nickname) Baney was a homesteader and hunted for all of his meat and apparently bear was on his menu. Unfortunately Baney died hang-gliding in the 60s. Widow Baney... if by chance you are reading this... I'd love to hear from you!!

Anyway... back to Mum's Potted Beef. I also just found out it was originally Nana's recipe and Mum learned to make it for my dad.

This is probably a little different than Mum made it and her's is probably a little different than Nana's.

Mum's Potted Beef
1 - 1.5 lbs stew meat (or steak tips)
1/4 - 1/2 C Worcestershire sauce
beef broth
salt
pepper
8 carrots cut into thirds (or equivalent baby carrots)
flour (enough to thicken broth)

First season the meat with salt & pepper.
Then brown the meat in a pot.
Add Worcestershire sauce (about 1/4 to 1/2 C), carrots and cover with beef broth.
Simmer for 1 to 1.5 hours.
Remove meat & carrots.
Thicken broth with flour slurry (about 1/4 C flour shaken with about 1 C water).
Add salt & pepper to taste.
Serve with mashed potatoes.

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Some gorgeous stew beef stopped me in my tracks and made me decide to make this.


Season meat with salt & pepper and brown in a pot.




When meat is browned, add carrots.


And Worcestershire sauce. I definitely use closer to 1/2C... although I never actually measure it.


And LOTS of black pepper.


Pour in enough beef broth to cover meat & carrots.





Cover and simmer for an hour to an hour and a half.


Fast forward 1.5 hours....

Scoop the meat & carrots out of the broth and set aside.




Now time to make the slurry. My mom has this ancient Tupperware gravy shaker. I've looked online bunches of times for it and always come up empty. But I happened to spy it as part of a Tupperware Sales Kit from the 50s! This thing is wicked old! But she still uses it and it still works great! (this isn't Mum's... hers looks well used!)



By the time I was out on my own, they didn't make these anymore. I'm sure you've all seen the newer (still old!) ones with the pour spout in the top. Anyway. I never had one (old or new), so the gravy part was always a challenge for me.

In Mum's gravy shaker you put flour in the lid (it holds about 1/4 C) and water in the base (about 1 C) and shake. No measuring, just use that cool contraption from the 50s.

So I put measured amounts of flour & water into a plastic container and shook it.

Flour...


Plus water...


Equals thick gooey slurry...


Whisk the slurry into the broth.


It makes thick gravy very quickly. Just season it to taste with salt and pepper.


Now it gets served... meat & carrots with gravy and mashed potatoes!




Now ever since I was little... I always mashed my carrots with my fork.






And mixed them with my mashed potatoes.


Then I flood my plate with gravy!


YUM!!! In addition to my mashed carrot/potato/gravy combo... I have to have a piece of buttered bread...




And drench it in gravy.... *drool*


I'm not a big sweets fan... but pass the bread & the gravy boat... and I'm in heaven!