Beef Casserole

Ingredients

• 800 g beef chuck (braising/casserole) steak, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2 tsp sea salt flakes
• 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 brown onions, finely diced
• 1 tbsp roughly chopped garlic
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 35 g plain (all-purpose) flour
• 250 ml dry red wine
• 1 litre water
• 2 tsp beef stock powder (bouillon)
• 4 sprigs of thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp sugar
• 4 large carrots, peeled and sliced diagonally
• 500 g baby potatoes, cut in half
• Crusty bread, to serve