Ingredients :

• Braising beef — Choose chuck roast or shin, not rump steak. These cuts contain collagen that melts slowly and gives that gelatinous, silky sauce. Cut it into 4 to 5 cm cubes — too small, they fall apart into filaments; too large, they stay firm in the center.
• Carrots — Classic carrots, nothing fancy. Cut them into thick chunks of at least 3 cm — they hold up to long cooking without turning into mush, unlike baby carrots which disintegrate.
• Potatoes — Choose a waxy variety — Charlotte or Amandine. Floury ones like Bintje absorb too much liquid and break down into a lumpy purée. Not the desired effect.
• Tomato paste — Only two tablespoons, but they make all the difference. Sauté it for 30 seconds in the pan before deglazing — it turns from bright red to an orange-brown and its taste changes completely: less acidic, deeper.