Simple Pot Roast
I served the pot roast with mashed potatoes and leftover spinach.
Ingredients
One (2-3-pound) prime boneless beef chuck roast, tied
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Flour
Olive oil
4 carrots, each cut in 3 or 4 pieces
1 cup chopped yellow onions
1 cup chopped celery
2 large garlic cloves, grated
1/2 cup red wine
2 cups beef broth
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Pat the beef dry with a paper towel. Season the roast all over with salt & pepper. Dredge the whole roast in flour, including the ends.
In a large Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the roast and sear on all sides of the meat until browned. Remove the roast to a large plate.
Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to the Dutch oven. Add the onions, celery, and garlic and cook over medium heat until tender but not browned. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Add the stock and seasonings. Put the roast back into the pot and bring the liquid to a boil. Cover the pot and. place it in the oven for 60 minutes. Then turn the oven down to 250 degrees F, add the carrots to the pot and cook for an additional 2 hours.
Remove the roast to a cutting board and carrots to a serving plate. Use an immersion blender to puree the broth until smooth. Slice the meat. Serve warm with the sauce spooned over it.
Beef Pot Roast
Ingredients
3 lb chuck beef roast
1 teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon onion powder
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups beef broth
1 large sweet onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 medium carrots, peeled and cut in half
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 tablespoon arrowroot powder or cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold water
Directions
In a small bowl combine the sea salt, black pepper, paprika, garlic powder, thyme, and onion powder. Mix together. Rub seasoning mixture all over the roast.
Heat a large Dutch Oven over high and add the oil. Sear the roast on both sides until browned.
Pour the beef broth over the roast. Sprinkle minced garlic over the top and add the onions. Bring to a boil, cover, and lower heat to low.
Cook for 60 minutes, turn the roast over and add the carrots and mushrooms. Cover and cook for 2-3 hours more or until the meat is falling apart tender.
Remove the carrots and roast from the pot and place on a serving platter. Cover with foil and let rest while you thicken the gravy.
In a small bowl combine: arrowroot powder and cold water. Stir until mixed.
Bring the sauce in the pot to a boil and pour in the arrowroot powder mixture. Boil and stir until the sauce thickens. Turn down the heat to very low.
Slice the roast and serve with the carrots and hot gravy.
Swiss Chard and Mashed Rutabaga
You may use two Yukon gold or one large baking potato instead of the rutabaga in this recipe.
For the Swiss Chard
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 medium onion finely chopped
2 large bunches of Swiss chard, washed in several changes of water
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Salt to taste
For the rutabaga
1 medium rutabaga
Salt
1 clove garlic, peeled
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon olive oil
Directions for the Swiss Chard
Drain the washed chard very well. With a knife, remove the chard stems that run up the middle of each leaf. Cut the leaves into smaller pieces.
Heat the oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the onion, garlic, and black pepper.
Heat for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onions are tender.
Add the chard leaves and cook, covered, for 5 minutes until the leaves are wilted and brightly colored. Add a tablespoon of water to the pan if it seems like the leaves are getting too dry.
Add salt to taste and set aside.
Directions for the Rutabaga
Peel the rutabaga. Cut into ½ inch diced pieces. Place the rutabaga in a medium saucepan with a cover.
Add the chicken broth, garlic, and a little salt to taste. Bring to a boil and lower the heat to medium. Cover the pan and cook until very soft, about 45 minutes.
Drain the rutabaga over a bowl and reserve the broth for soup. Return the cooked rutabaga to pan and mash with a potato masher. Add the olive oil.
To finish the dish
Stir the mashed rutabaga or potato into the Swiss chard. Heat the mixture over low heat, cover the pan and let the mixture simmer for about 30 minutes until the chard is very tender. Serve with the pot roast.
Pot Roast
Beef roast and vegetables are slow cooked in a delicious broth until the meat just falls apart in this recipe. Definitely comfort food.
Browning the beef in bacon fat adds much flavor to the meat and you can drain the pot of the fat after the beef is browned and before you add other ingredients, if you prefer.
Herbes de Provence is a mixture of dried herbs typical of the Provence region of southeast France. This blend often contains savory, marjoram, rosemary, thyme, oregano and lavender leaves. These herbs are a delicious addition to stews and braised meats.
You can also add small potatoes to the pot roast, if you wish. Add them to the pot after the roast has cooked about 1 1/2 hours. Or you can serve this dish with mashed potatoes.
Servings: 8
Ingredients
Beef
2 1/2 to 3 pound chuck roast
2 tablespoons bacon fat or oil of your choice
Sea salt and black pepper
1 teaspoon dried Herbes de Provence
Vegetables
1 large sweet onion cut in quarters
5 medium (5-6 oz) carrots, peeled and cut in half
5 large stalks celery, cut into thirds
2 cloves garlic, sliced
2 1/2 cups unsalted beef broth
1/2 cup dry red wine
2 tablespoons tomato paste
Directions
Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F and place the rack to the middle position.
Trim any visible fat on the outside of the roast.
Heat a large dutch oven over medium heat.
Dry the chuck roast with a paper towel and season both sides well with salt and pepper and the Herbes de Provence.
When the pot is very hot, add the bacon fat and swirl to coat the bottom of the pot.
Brown the chuck roast on one side for 4-5 minutes then flip and brown the other side for another 4-5 minutes. Turn the heat to low.
Place the vegetables in the pot around the browned pot roast. In a large measuring cup,combine the broth, wine and tomato paste.
Mix well and pour over the beef and vegetables. The liquid should be almost to the top of the roast.
If not, add a little more broth until it is. Turn the heat up to medium until the liquid begins to simmer.
Cover the pot and place the pot roast into the oven to cook for 3 hours or until the roast is very tender.
It’s done when a fork pierces easily all the way through the meat and/or it shreds easily with a fork.
Check after 3 hours but it may take as long as 4 depending on how thickly cut the chuck roast is.
Remove the roast and vegetables to a large serving plate with a slotted spoon.
Skim the fat and add enough of your favorite thickener for about 4 cups of liquid.
Cook the gravy, stirring constantly until the liquid thickens.
Slice the meat on the platter and serve the meat and vegetables with the gravy on the side.
