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1
Brown the Beef
20 Mins • Medium-High Heat
Medium-high heat, about 200°C (400°F)
Heat the oil in the potjie over medium-high heat. Brown the beef in batches, turning each piece until it is dark brown on all sides — about 4 minutes per batch. Do not crowd the pot, or the meat will steam instead of browning. Return all the meat to the pot, add the garlic and the bay leaves, and season with half the salt.
Browning in batches is the whole secret of a good stew — grey, crowded meat makes grey, flat gravy.
Done when: Beef deeply browned on all sides; the bottom of the pot has a dark, sticky crust (that is flavour, not burning).
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2
Layer the Vegetables
10 Mins • Layering
Pot still hot, about 180°C (350°F)
Now build the layers, in order, and do not stir from this point on. First the potatoes, carrots and butternut over the meat, then the onion wedges and tomatoes, then the green beans and corn rounds on top. Sprinkle the remaining salt and the thyme over the vegetables as you go. Pour the warm stock gently down the side of the pot so it settles at the bottom without washing the layers away.
Longest-cooking vegetables go lowest, quickest-cooking go highest — that is the whole logic of the potjie.
Done when: Neat layers from meat at the bottom to corn on top; stock visible at the bottom of the pot, not flooding the top.
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3
Simmer Slowly, Lid On, Never Stir
120 Mins • Low Heat
Gentle simmer, about 95°C (203°F)
Put the lid on tightly and move the pot to a gentle heat: a few coals underneath and a few on the lid, or the lowest setting on the stove. The pot should simmer very gently — you should hear the occasional soft bubble, not a rolling boil. Cook for 2 hours. Resist the urge to lift the lid and stir; every lift lets out steam and heat.
If you can hear it boiling hard, the heat is too high — pull a few coals away. A potjiekos is slow by definition.
Done when: A faint, steady simmer; the lid stays put and the layers are undisturbed.
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4
Check Doneness and Season
10 Mins • Checking
Simmer, about 95°C (203°F)
After 2 hours, lift the lid once and check: the potatoes and carrots should be tender when poked with a knife, the beef should yield easily, and the gravy at the bottom should be rich and slightly thick. If the gravy is too thin, cook uncovered for 10 more minutes; if the vegetables are still firm, give it another 15 minutes with the lid on. Remove the bay leaves.
Taste the gravy now and adjust the salt — never before, because the flavours concentrate as the pot cooks down.
Done when: Beef spoon-tender and at least 71°C (160°F) inside; vegetables soft but still holding their shape; gravy glossy.
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5
Rest and Serve
5 Mins • Resting
Resting off the heat, about 20°C (68°F)
Take the pot off the heat and let it rest, lid on, for 5 minutes so the gravy settles. Serve straight from the pot, scooping deep so every plate gets meat, vegetables and gravy from all the layers.
Scoop from the bottom up — that is how each serving gets a little of every layer.
Done when: Settled, steaming, ready to serve at once.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Lift the lid, breathe in the steam, and serve straight from the pot with a big spoon — each person gets a scoop that includes a little of every layer. Potjiekos is never stirred before serving, so the layers you built are the layers you eat.
Namibia
35m
France
Vietnam