Absolutely. Browning the meat gives you something called "fond" which enriches the stew considerably. Fond is a French culinary word for the tasty caramelized bits on the bottom of the pan when food is browned. Fond is very flavorful, creating and capturing it is the difference between a bland and rich flavored dish. To get good fond you need heat, oil, and as little moisture as possible. In this recipe we do this by heating oil on high heat and then browning the ground beef. The wider your soup pot, the more fond you’ll get. After the meat has browned take it out, and you’ll see the tasty caramelized bits of fond on the bottom and along the sides of the pot.