Ye Olde Goulash

     Yesterday morning, I got up, fed Pippy, made the bed, emptied the dishwasher, and took Pippy outside to use the bathroom. Every morning, it's the same; the only thing that changes is the meat I pull from the freezer to thaw for dinner.  Last night, the decision was between chicken breast, ground beef, or top round. We had chicken the night before, so I pulled out the top round and let it begin thawing. Once it was thawed (around 2pm) I put it in the refrigerator and then it hit me. I don't have enough time to make anything with this! 
     See, top round is a tougher cut of meat. This is because the area that this cut comes from is well exercised and contains a lot of connective tissue. It tends to be extremely tough if it isn't braised for a long period of time. So, at this point, I'm trying to figure out what I can cook in a short period of time. I won't be able to utilize my slow cooker unless I want to have dinner ready around 10:30 P.M. I had to improvise a bit and do something on the stove top that could cook low and slow for at least an hour and a half. 
     The recipe that I have written out is meant for ease and convenience (somewhat). I used a packaged rice that had beef seasonings, but you can also cook the rice in a separate 2-quart pot and add either 2 cubes of beef bouillon or 1 tablespoon of it. 

Ye Olde Goulash
Yields: 4 servings

2½ tbsp. butter, unsalted
1 lb. top round, 1" cubes
1 c. onion, chopped
1 lb. waxy potatoes, cubed
1 c. water
1½ c. beef broth
2 tsp. salt
1 (14.5oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 package of rice with beef seasonings, if desired

In a soup pot, melt the butter over high heat. Add the steak and onions brown on all sides. Resist the urge to continue stirring the meat! This will allow the meat to develop a nice color and this is where much of the flavor is!

 After about 6 to 8 minutes, add the potatoes, water, beef broth, and salt. Cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for about 1½hours, stirring occasionally.

At this point, add the tomatoes and the packaged rice (or boil separately), uncovered for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

 

Note: This tastes GREAT the next day as well!

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 4
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 713.8

• Total Fat: 25.7 g
• Cholesterol: 84.1 mg
• Sodium: 599.9 mg
• Total Carbs: 53.1 g
• Dietary Fiber: 11.0 g
• Protein: 39.6 g