Braised Beef with Butternut Squash - Winter Comfort Food

Braised Beef with Butternut Squash.

If you are like me you have at least one big butternut squash left from last year's garden.  And, if you are like me you have been moving it around and wondering what you were going to do with it.  Well, here is a suggestion for some hearty winter comfort food.  This recipe was real hit with my family.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (or about 180 degrees C).
Peel your butternut squash like it is a giant potato.  It helps me to cut the top and bottom off so I have somewhere to start the peeler.  BTW, the bigger the peeler the better.  Once you have peeled and there is no more white inner-peeling left, split it lengthwise.  Note of caution here: the butternut will be slippery on the outside and hard to cut through.  Be extra careful of your fingers.  Once it is split, scrape the seeds and stringy stuff out.  I save the seeds and roast them with a little salt or, as I did this time, toss them out to the chickens.  Then you cut your squash up into bite-sized pieces, about 1"X1".  Set your squash aside.
Cut up one large, white onion and a few garlic cloves.  
Pour a few tablespoons of vegetable oil into a large dutch oven.  Heat it to medium/high.  Once you oil is hot, place beef stew meat or beef tips into the oil and brown it well.  Stir it, adjust the heat and be careful not to over-cook it.  Once your meat is browned take it out of the pot and set it aside. 
Saute your onion and garlic in the dutch oven. Once your onion is starting to clear add a small amount of water to the pot, just enough to deglaze the yummy bits that are sticking to the bottom. 
Return the beef to the dutch oven.  Add enough water to cover the mixture well, then add two packs brown gravy mix.  I like the Knorr Classic Brown Gravy Mix, which is widely available at grocery stores and even on-line.  Add two bay leaves and about a teaspoon of thyme, maybe a little more. Cover the dutch oven and put it in the oven for 90 minutes.  At the 90 minute mark, take the dutch oven out, add the butternut squash chunks, mix well so that the squash is covered, and return it to the oven for 30 minutes.  When you remove it, check the squash with a fork to ensure it is done all the way through.  The blending of the braised beef with the hearty squash is awesome.  Thankfully my wife took a picture of her bowl to post on Facebook or I would not have a picture at all.  I guess if she's posting it she must like it enough to share!  Now I have requests for this recipe from her friends.  I hope you enjoy it!