Instant Pot Beef Stew

Step 1

Cut beef into 1 1/2-inch pieces and discard any large pieces of fat. Pat meat dry with paper towels and season with 1/2 tsp. salt and the pepper. Set aside. Halve onion through the root end, then slice crosswise. Cut (unpeeled) potatoes in half. Peel carrots and parsnips, then cut into 1-inch chunks. Set vegetables aside. Chop sun-dried tomatoes and mince thyme if you haven’t already.

Step 2

Select Saute on the Instant Pot and adjust heat to High. When the hot indicator is displayed, add olive oil to the pot. Add half of the beef. (Don’t crowd the pot, or the meat will sweat instead of brown). Cook without stirring until beef is well browned on the underside, about 4 minutes. Stir and continue to cook until meat is browned all over, about 3 minutes more. Reduce heat if the bottom of the pot begins to scorch. Transfer meat to a plate. Repeat browning with remaining beef, leaving it in the pot.

Step 3

Add onion, sun-dried tomatoes, and thyme to the pot and cook, stirring often, until onion begins to wilt, about 4 minutes. Add wine to the pot and simmer for 1 minute, scraping up browned bits on the bottom of the pot. (Be sure to scrape up browned bits, as they could cause the machine to stop with a “burn” error message.) Press Cancel.

Step 4

Return first batch of browned beef to the pot and stir to combine. Layer potatoes, carrots, and parsnip on top of the beef and sprinkle with the remaining 3/4 tsp. salt. Pour beef broth over everything.

Step 5

Lock on the lid, setting the steam valve to “Sealing,” and set the Instant Pot for 25 minutes at High pressure.

Step 6

Quick-release the pressure and remove the lid. Gently stir dry instant mashed potatoes into the stew and let the stew stand for a few minutes (it will thicken). With a spoon, skim off any clear liquid fat that has floated to the top of the stew. Sprinkle stew with parsley, and serve. Leftover stew keeps, chilled airtight, up to 3 days or frozen up to 3 months.