Season beef with ½ tsp kosher salt and ¼ tsp fresh cracked black pepper. Toss to coat. Heat oil in a 6 Quart Dutch oven at medium high heat and when it begins to glisten, add the beef in a single layer.
Sear beef until golden brown on two sides. Spoon beef onto a plate, reduce heat to medium, add the balsamic vinegar to the pan and using a wooden spoon scrape up any bits of beef that have stuck to the bottom.
Add the onions and stir to coat. Cook onions until slightly translucent and then add the celery, carrots, stock, bay leaves (and thyme if you desire) and beef with whatever liquid had leaked onto the plate. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.
Reduce heat to low, cover and cook another 40 minutes or longer, until the beef is tender. While stew is braising, put potatoes in a saucepan add water to cover by 1” add 1 tsp salt bring pot to boil, reduce to simmer and cook for 20 minutes or until potatoes are soft.
Be careful not to overcook as you want to be able to cut them into smaller sizes. When potatoes are cooked, drain and let cool 5 minutes, using a knife and fork, carefully cut each potato in half. Remove bay leaves from stew. Serve over a few halved baby potatoes. Garnish with flat leaf parsley, kosher salt and pepper to taste.
