Chop the meat into biggish bite-sized chunks
Heat the oil in a big, solid non-stick pot.
When it's really hot, brown the meat aggressively in small batches. By ``aggressively'', I mean that you have to courageously resist the urge to stir it, leaving it to cook one side at a time, thoroughly, so that it develops a slightly burned crust.
Once you've removed the last batch of beef from the pot (keep it on a plate), put the chopped onion in the beef juices, and fry it fairly dry until is just starts to burn. Then add some more oil, and keep frying the onion in it until it softens.
Return the meat to the pan.
Add the herbs, the white wine and the stock. Top up with a bit of water if you don't think you have enough liquid. Better yet, use a bit more wine.
If you truly trust me, you will now crumble a beef stock cube into the mixture. If you're a food snob or a BSE paranoic, you'd probably rather not, and I quite understand; but don't come running to me when the casserole is merely very, very good.
Pour in the golden syrup. Go on, do it. It makes all the difference. Don't worry, the casserole won't end up sickly sweet: the syrup just brings out the natural sweetness of the other ingredients.
Now you're rolling. Give it a good stir, reduce the pot to a very low simmer, cover it with a tight lid, and walk away for two hours. At this point, if - like me - you have no potatoes in the house, you'll want to nip out and find one of those 24-hour greengrocers :-)
Just make sure the liquid doesn't all boil away, otherwise the food will burn.
Two hours later, your beef should be tender, and the juices should be mulching down nicely. Chop the potatoes into big, hearty lumps and throw 'em in.
Now the tomatoes. You want them either chopped finely or mashed through a collender. Don't forget to add all the tomato juice from the tin. Also a bit more wine.
Nearly done. Add your salt and pepper, give it a stir, and wait for the potatoes to cook through - probably about 20-30 minutes, but do test one.
Serve. Just like that: no bread, no rice, no nothing. The whole meal is in one pot.
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