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Meat, Maghreb and Middle East

Ostri with mashed potatoes

Ostri is a Georgian beef stew in a chili tomato sauce, served with mashed potatoes. It serves 4, takes about 2 hours 10 minutes total, and is an easy recipe costing €3.70 per serving. The key to getting it right is adding pickles at the very end, which bring the tang that defines this dish.

Here's a well spiced Georgian beef stew, ostri, with its chili tomato sauce and mashed potatoes to soak it all up.

Ostri with mashed potatoes
Total time
2 h 10
Difficulty
Easy
Cost per person
€3.70
Calories per person
610 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Winter, Fall
The kids
They generally like it

Ostri stands out for its balance, a tomato sauce that has had time to reduce and concentrate, spiced with fresh chili you control yourself, and that tangy hit of pickles that arrives at the end like a signature. The chuck beef, cooked low and slow, ends up falling apart with a fork, and the buttery, milky mash soaks up every bit of sauce without wasting a drop.

This is more of a weekend dish than a weeknight one, the kind you set to simmer on a Sunday afternoon while you get on with something else. Mon Chou loves it for family dinners, you can easily adjust the chili depending on who's at the table, and the mash is always a hit with kids even on days when the sauce packs more heat for the adults.

The ingredients

4 people

Butcher

  • Beef chuck 800 g

Fruits and vegetables

  • Onion 2
  • Garlic 3 cloves
  • Fresh cilantro 1 bunch
  • Fresh red chili 1
  • Potatoes 1.2 kg

Pantry

  • Crushed tomatoesoften in the pantry 400 g
  • Tomato pasteoften in the pantry 1 tbsp
  • Picklesoften in the pantry 6
  • Paprikaoften in the pantry 1 tsp
  • Olive oiloften in the pantry 2 tbsp
  • Saltoften in the pantry 1 pinch
  • Pepperoften in the pantry 1 pinch

Dairy

  • Milk 20 cl
  • Butter 50 g

Allergens Lactose

The step by step recipe

  1. Cut the chuck beef into cubes and brown it in the oil, then add the sliced onions and let them take on color.

    Pat the meat dry with paper towel before searing it, so it browns instead of steaming.

  2. Add the garlic, paprika, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, salt, pepper, and the seeded chili cut into rounds.

    Keep the chili seeds in if you like real heat, that's where it happens.

  3. Cover with water to the level of the meat, bring to a simmer, and cook covered until the meat is very tender. 1 h 40

    Watch the liquid level, it should always just cover the meat.

  4. Meanwhile, cook the peeled potatoes in salted water, then mash them with the hot milk and butter. 25 min

    Use a potato ricer rather than a blender, the mash stays light and doesn't turn gluey.

  5. Add the sliced pickles and chopped cilantro to the stew for the last five minutes, and serve over the mash. 5 min

    Taste before adding salt, the pickles already season the sauce well.

Our tips to get it right

  • Pick classic dill pickles rather than sweet ones, the tang needs to stay sharp against the tomato.
  • If the sauce still looks thin at the end of cooking, take the lid off for the last fifteen minutes so it reduces without extending the cooking time.
  • Make this dish the day before if you can, the beef and sauce hold together better and taste even better after a night in the fridge.

The variations

  • Swap the chuck for beef shin or cheek, two cuts that also hold up well to long cooking.
  • For a vegetarian version, replace the meat with button mushrooms and chickpeas, and cut the simmering time down to 30 minutes.
  • For kids who don't like heat, leave the chili out of the pot entirely and serve it diced on the side for anyone who wants to add some.

What to serve it with

  • Flatbread for scooping up sauce
  • A cool cucumber salad
  • A glass of spiced tomato juice

Storage

Ostri keeps for 3 days in the fridge in a sealed container, and the sauce actually tastes even better reheated the next day. The stew alone freezes well for up to 2 months, but the mash doesn't freeze well and is best made fresh. Reheat gently over low heat, adding a splash of water if the sauce has thickened too much.

Questions about this dish

Can you use a different cut of beef instead of chuck?

Yes, beef shin, cheek, or shank all work well since they're cuts that turn tender with long cooking. Avoid already tender cuts like tenderloin, which would dry out after two hours of simmering.

Can you make ostri ahead of time?

Yes, it's actually recommended, the stew develops more flavor after resting overnight in the fridge. Make the mash fresh right before serving so it stays smooth.

How do you tone down the dish if the chili is too hot?

Add a spoonful of plain yogurt or extra mash to the plate to calm the heat. You can also cut back on the chili from the start if you're cooking for kids.

Why add the pickles only at the end?

Pickles keep their crunch and tang if they only cook for five minutes in the hot sauce. Added too early, they go soft and lose what makes them worth including.

How long does it take to make an ostri with mashed potatoes?

Count 2 h 10 in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “easy”.

How many calories are in an ostri with mashed potatoes?

About 610 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does an ostri with mashed potatoes cost?

About €3.70 per serving, or €14.80 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains lactose. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

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