Crockpot Magic: Chunky Beef Stew

My crockpot is my best friend. There's absolutely nothing like throwing some ingredients into it at 7 AM and coming home to the enticing smell of my perfectly prepared dinner, hot and waiting for me.

I'll admit it: Chunky Beef Stew started out as pot roast. I thew a London Broil into the crockpot expecting to come home to...well...a solid roast but instead the meat had separated into tantalizing chunks of moist meaty indulgence. Better than that, the drippings I had planned to make into gravy had become perfect beef stew stock. I toasted some bread, heaped the mixture into bowls, and declared it stew night. Darling Boyfriend and the munchkins declared it Deeee-licious!

Sooo I present to you the first in my Crockpot Magic series:

Chunky Beef Stew

2-3 lb London Broil, fat trimmed
4-5 lbs red potatoes, quartered with skin ON
8 oz baby carrots
1 medium onion, sliced and separated into rings
2 1/2-3 cups beef broth
1/4 c Worcestershire sauce
1/4 c red wine vinegar
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp black pepper

1. Place roast in bottom of crockpot. Arrange potatoes and carrots around it. Cover with onion rings. Sprinkle with garlic and black pepper.

2. In large measuring cup mix beef broth, Worcestershire, and red wine vinegar. Pour over top of meat, potatoes, and carrots.

3. Cook on low 8-12 hours. Stir before serving to integrate meat into rest of stew.