Salad as a side dish for beef stew

[sashh]

I currently have a beef stew in the slow cooker.

I am debating whether to do dumplings or mash to serve with it. I thought I would go online and see some other ideas.

I hit an American site which recommended various salads to serve.

It's not just me that finds this odd is it? Would you serve salad with a stew?

BTW any suggestions for something a bit different will be gratefully received. There is carrot in the stew and I have no baking potatoes, new potatoes, courgettes and I do have some salad which I am not serving.

That would be an unusual combination....maybe if it was on top of a jacket potato. I just can't see the gravy doing the salad any favours. What about serving it with rice?

Salad is fine - you wouldn't have it on the same plate as the stew, but on a side plate. Nice to have different textures and colours.

As in actual salads with lettuce? Or more like say a vegetable dish that they call a salad?

Mash! Def not salad

We have exactly that this evening , not unusual where I was brought up 😊

Serve the salad as a starter and bread with the stew

Cous cous goes well

Americans tend to have side salads with everything.

If it was me I'd add roast garlic to the mash and just have it like that. If I could be bothered I might add some green beans or tenderstem broccoli on the side to have a bit of variety and colour.

Crusty bread, thickly buttered

A side of mixed greens like cabbage, peas, broccoli, courgette.

Also I do a side bowl of fresh chopped herbs like parsley, chives. With a teaspoon. People take a spoonful to scatter over their stew

No actual salads.

Yes there are some other more reasonable stuff but quite a few actual salads.

https://www.platingsandpairings.com/what-to-serve-with-beef-stew/

@MrsPelligrinoPetrichor where were you brought up?

I'm going to have to go to the shop for crusty bread but it does sound good.

I'm liking the herb idea, again that's a trip to the shop but Lidl usually have fresh herbs.

The whole point of a stew is that it’s one dish. It doesn’t need sides.

I love stew and I love salads but, to me, they do not go together at all.

@PetrichorSoul I didn't put any potatoes in as I pref to have them cooked differently if I do have them.

But a stew is better with mash. Well, most things are.

I’d make a suet pastry crust and pop it in the oven.

I cooked a Mindful Chef recipe last night which included salad with meat in a sauce. It was revolting!

We eat salad (for the nutritional value of it, ofc), with everything. Including pasta. It's delicious and super healthy. Nothing like a good stew with a green salad. Yum

My first thought to stew and salad was yuck. But then it's totally normal to have a side salad with lasagne or moussaka.

Still think crusty breads the best option

I agree. I wouldn't do a salad with stew either. I would do roasted vegetables or some green veg like broccoli, green beans and pea tossed in garlic butter or olive oil. I also cook the veg separately as certain family members only like certain vegetables. Carb wise I would have mash or dumplings and bread is mandatory with stew in this house.

Again not in Italy or Greece because it’s a full meal in itself. Why do you need sides???? Just have a bigger portion.

NO!!!

I love a good stew but good grief i cojkdnt in this weather.

At any rate, never with a salad.

I could eat a salad with anything - I like the freshness.

Is it not hot where you are today? Stew and dumplings in this weather 😱

Agent but I think as those dishes are oven baked and then left to rest it means the sauce isn't too far on the runny side whereas a stew has sauce of a more gravy consistency and it's that mixing with salad that makes it odd for me.

I think for it for work I'd need to channel my inner Alan Partridge and use crusty buttered bread as a dam barrier between the salad and stew