My boyfriend Zak and I are avid fans of the Elder Scrolls series, and we often play Skyrim together. I'm a newcomer to the series while he has been a fan since Morrowind. In the midst of a new DLC that was to be released, Dawnguard, I decided to throw him a feast fit for a Jarl. I cooked him a delicious beef and butternut squash stew, baked potatoes, roasted vegetables, and sweetrolls! Yes, I decided to tackle the infamous desert that the Whiterun guards like to joke about. Let me guess, someone stole your sweetroll. My boyfriend actually did steal one of the sweetrolls from my plate and quipped that little line with the silliest smirk on his face. What a butt. The recipe I used for the sweetrolls is from Gourmet Gaming, a food blog with recipes based on videogame food. The sweetrolls were perfectly soft, light and deliciously sweet, and the cinnamon-sugar glaze inside was perfect to bite into, and the cinnamon-cream cheese frosting added an extra sweetness to the airy rolls. Luckilly, I had a bundt cake cupcake pan, so I didn't have to create my own holes or mold the cake into the classic sweetroll shape.
The roasted vegetables were butternut squash, onions, carrots and asparagus, and the baked potato was simple with butter and some Montreal steak seasoning sprinkled on top. I love Montreal steak seasoning; top anything with it and it's addicting and delicious with a little kick. The stew was amazingly delicious and hearty, and I was surprised at how well butternut squash complimented the beef. I ended up adding some of the baked potato and roasted veggies to the stew for extra flavor.
Beef and Butternut Squash Stew
Recipe adapted from Giada de Laurentiis
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
2 pounds stew beef, cut into 2-inch cubes
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup Marsala wine
1 pound butternut squash, trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes
1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
3 to 4 cups beef broth
2 tablespoons fresh chopped flat-leaf parsley
1. Heat 3 tbs of olive oil over medium heat in a large saucepan, and add the onions, thyme, rosemary and garlic. Saute until the onions are tender.
2. Toss the beef in flour, salt and pepper and add to the pot, turning the heat up to medium high. Cook until the beef is browned.
3. Add the Marsala wine and stir up all the bits and goods at the bottom of the pan with a spoon.
4. Add the squash and sun-dried tomatoes, stir, then add the beef broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for an hour. Season with salt and pepper. Top with parsley and serve!
