Remove the inner bowl of a slow cooker if you can, if not, use a large frying pan or a skillet. Add rapeseed oil to it, place it on a stove and set on medium-high heat.
Once the pan (or inner bowl) is hot, add ⅓ of the beef chunks and brown it from all sides (about 1 minute on each side). When seared and brown, place onto a plate and set aside. Repeat until you used all meat.
Using the same pan, add onions and garlic and a splash of oil if needed. Fry for two minutes and take off the heat.
Put the inner bowl with fried onion and garlic back into the slow cooker (or transfer them from a frying pan to the slow cooker). Add carrots, the browned meat and canned tomatoes. Season with paprika, caraway seeds, bay leaves, salt, black pepper and Worcester sauce. Fill up empty tomato can with water, and add the water to the sauce. Cover and slow cook for 8 hours on low settings. Check there is enough liquid in the dish after 3 hours, add more if needed.
In the meantime, prepare the potatoes. Wash and cut them in halves and keep in a bowl covered with water.
After 6.5 hrs of cooking the stew, drain the potatoes and add them to the slow cooker. Stir, add more water if needed. Cover and cook for another 1.5 hours. Uncover, carefully cut the softened carrots into smaller chunks. Cover again and leave to rest for a few minutes before serving.
Possible swaps (1:1 ratio unless stated otherwise):
Beef roasting joint – reduce cooking time by a half.
Parsnip and/or celeriac instead of white potatoes.
Sweet potatoes (x2) and/or bell peppers (x3) to replace carrots.
Swap canned tomatoes for 8 fresh tomatoes and 1 tablespoon tomato paste.
1 leek instead of onions.
Top tips: Please see the article above the recipe card.Dutch oven:Preheat the oven to 150C/302F. Cut the brisket into chunks. Add a drizzle of oil to a casserole dish and brown the meat on a stovetop on medium-high heat. Add chopped onions and garlic, and fry for another 2 minutes. Add chopped tomatoes, carrots, spices, Worcester sauce and water (1 whole can from the tomatoes). Cover and place in the hot oven. Cook for 1.5 hours, checking there is enough liquid (add more water if needed). Cook for another 1.5 hours. Wash and halve the potatoes and add them to the stew. Cook for 1 more hour or until the potatoes are soft. Cut the carrots into smaller bites. Return carrots to the stew and leave to rest covered for 10 minutes. Serve warm.