Marinate the beef with soy sauce, juice of 1 lemon, bay leaves, and ground pepper for 30 minutes at a minimum or even overnight. See note below.
Add olive oil to a large sauté pan (large enough to fit all slices of meat). Remove the beef from the marinade and brown each side in the pan for about 3 minutes each over medium heat. Important: Do not use or discard your marinade, it will be used in a later step.
Remove the browned beef from the sauté pan and add the sliced onions. Cook the onions for about 3 minutes until slightly translucent. Reserve some onion slices as a garnish after cooked. Add a little water if needed to remove the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Include the minced garlic and cook for an additional minute.
Put the beef back into the sauté pan with the onion and garlic. Pour the marinade into the pan and add the 1/2 cup of water (remove the bay leaves from the marinade before pouring into the pan). Cover the pan and place on low heat for about 15 minutes.
Optional: Cook the sliced potatoes in a small sauce pan over low heat for about 10 minutes. Add olive oil, water, and salt to the sauce pan while cooking.
Once the meat has finished simmering, toss the cooked potatoes into the sauté pan if including. Garnish with reserved onion slices if using. Serve with white rice. Enjoy!