Heat olive oil and butter in a large oven-safe pot over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the beef, coat in flour, and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side to sear.
Once the beef is browned, add garlic, celery, carrot, leeks, potatoes, red wine, beef broth, soy sauce, bay leaves, thyme, salt, and pepper to taste. Stir to incorporate.
Top your stew with cilantro, cover with a lid, and bake for 2 hours at 350F.
To Make the Dumplings...
Add flour, lard, baking powder, mustard powder, and salt to a bowl and stir to combine. Gradually add water, as needed, and mix until the dough forms.
Dump your dough onto a lightly floured surface and kneed until everything is just combined and your dough is soft and elastic.
Separate your dough into 8 pieces and roll each into a ball.
Once your stew has been in the oven for 2 hours, remove the pot, add the dumplings to the stew, and bake for 20 minutes at 350F.
Serve your hearty beef stew and dumplings topped with fresh herbs, and enjoy :)
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Notes
Be careful of overmixing or kneading your dumpling dough, as this can result in tough dumplings. And while this may be great for dumplings that are part of a notorious biker gang, it's not great when you want to enjoy them with a tender and delicious beef stew.
Taste the stew before adding your dumplings. This gives you the perfect opportunity to adjust the seasonings as needed. You may need to add more salt, pepper, or herbs to achieve the ideal balance of flavors.