Beef Stew

My little Nesco is the perfect size for this stew. This recipe is actually a modified version of the one that come in the booklet with the roaster. I bought mine used, and the booklet was already marked up. This one was marked "good." The previous owner was right! With a few tweaks, here is the stew my family enjoys:

2 tbl butter
1 lb beef cubes for stew
2 small onions, quartered
handful of baby carrots
2 cans (15 oz each) whole new potatoes, drained
1 packet onion soup mix
1/2 cup beef broth
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tbl EACH cornstarch and cold water, mixed

Set roaster on 425 and melt butter. Add beef, stir, and cover to roast for 10 minutes. Add vegetables, soup, broth and pepper. Turn down to 250 and cook 3 hours. If you want to add a cup of cut green beans, do that when there's about 1/2 hour to go--just add the frozen beans right in.
When ready to serve, add cornstarch mixture and stir. Turn the roaster up until the gravy thickens.