The Promised Neverland Stew

Peel the potatoes and cut them into large, evenly sized pieces.

Pat the beef dry with paper towels and dice it into cubes roughly the same size as the potatoes.

Finely dice the onion.

Heat a pot with oil over high heat and sear the beef until it develops a nice golden-brown crust on all sides. Transfer the meat to a plate.

In the same pot, sauté the onion over medium heat until softened, then add the mushrooms and cook for 5-8 minutes, stirring constantly. Make sure to scrape up all the flavorful browned bits from the bottom left by the meat.

Pour in a splash of water and stir well to deglaze the pan, dissolving the browned bits, then add the rest of the water.

Return the beef and any accumulated juices back to the pot.

Add half of the potatoes and the bay leaf.

Cover with a lid and simmer over low heat for 25 minutes.

Remove the pieces of meat and temporarily transfer them to a plate.

Thoroughly mash the remaining potatoes directly in the broth until it reaches a creamy soup consistency. Return the meat to the pot.

Add the second half of the potatoes.

Cover again and simmer for another 20 minutes until the potatoes are tender.

Season with salt to taste and discard the bay leaf.