Beef stifado with mashed potatoes

Winter comfort food, beef stifado with mashed potatoes. I cheat and used frozen pearl onions from Trader Joe’s because it makes life SO much easier. It also means this dish requires almost no prep!

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2 lb (1kg) beef stew meat
1/2 c (110ml) olive oil
1 lb frozen pearl onions
2 1/2 c (500g) passata
1 c (225ml) water
2 whole cloves
1 tsp whole allspice berries
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
salt and pepper
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Brown beef in olive oil, working in batches. Remove all beef from pan, add onions and sauté for about 5 min, till caramelized. Add beef back to pan along with remaining ingredients. Bring to a gentle simmer and simmer, covered, for 1-1.5 hrs. Don’t stir too frequently, as you don’t want to disturb the onions. Remove lid for last 15-20 min of cooking so excess water can evaporate.