We hit the jack pot again this weekend. Signs of spring time are teasing us here and there, and we are doing our best to take what we can get. Because, of course, it is was 70* yesterday, and will be snowing in a few days here. Whomp. Whomp.
I had a dear old friend of mine email me for a pot roast recipe a week ago, and I knew I had to share it with the rainy months approaching. Now, we eat meat in our house, don’t get me wrong. But red meat, is extremely rare. Can’t tell you the last time I have bought it. We tend to do ground turkey, and chicken if we eat meat. SO. Going to our local butcher’s and buying this behemoth was fun and nauseating all at the same time. I cannot pin point a time in my life where meat started to turn me off so much. Not sure if it is the fear of cooking it? I am a freak about things being raw and just touching it with my hands, or its juices touching my countertops. Sanitizing my entire kitchen during and after the cooking process becomes a job.
We went to the butcher shop with the kids, and bought a nicely marbled piece of prime boneless chuck roast (4 1/2 pounds) and brought it home to cook the next day. My recipe is a combination of how my mother had always cooked hers, and a smidge of tips from Ina Garten combined with mine. Most pot roast recipes call for beef consume, or a bullion cube, and the sodium count in those are so high it’s disgusting! SO. I made up my own little mix to add to the pot, with a similar profile of flavors. It turned out amazing! The main complaints I always hear about people making pot roast is that theirs always turns out dry and bland. This is FAR from those two descriptions. The meat was beyond moist, and the flavors hit you from every angle. For all of you red meat lovers, this will knock you socks off! I got it started early in the afternoon, it takes around 3 1/2 hours to cook. In the mean time we played outside and worked up an appetite. I kept thinking about our mothers, and grandmothers while making this. These “slow cooked” meals were frequent growing up, and while they sit in the oven half the day, it still tasted like a lot of TLC went into this dish!
INGREDIENTS:
- 4-5 pound prime boneless beef chuck roast
- (1) 16 oz bag of organic carrots, chopped into chunks
- (1) 16 oz bag of organic celery, chopped into chunks
- 2 cup organic onions, chopped
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cup organic red wine
- 1 cup organic vegetable stock (you can use beef, or chicken – I thought there was enough “beef” flavor already in this dish)
- (1) 28 oz. can organic plum tomatoes and it’s juices
- (1) small bundle of thyme & rosemary
- ( Replacement for bullion cube….)
- Few tablespoons of soy sauce
- Few tablespoons of worcestershire sauce
- Heaping tablespoon of Dijon
- (2) 6 oz cans of tomato paste
- Few springs of green onion, chopped, for garnish
DIRECTIONS:
Pre heat the oven to 325* Prep a dutch oven on your stove top with 2 Tbs of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
First, start by chopping your vegetables. Chop the carrots, celery, onion and garlic and set aside in a bowl.
Second, put your dutch oven onto medium high heat and get the olive oil ready. Take your chuck roast and pat it dry with a paper towel. Next, season the roast liberally with salt and pepper. Then take flour, and dredge the roast in flour, shaking off all excess. Place the roast down into the dutch oven and sear the side for 4-5 minutes. Continue to do this for ALL four sides, 4-5 minutes each.
Once your searing stage is complete, take the roast out and place it on a baking sheet. Pour a few more tablespoons of olive oil into your dutch oven, and pour in all of your vegetables you chopped. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Let the veggies cook for 10-15 minutes until they tenderize slightly.
Next, pour the red wine over the veggies, add a pinch of salt and pepper again and bring the wine to a boil. Once boiling, add the can of plum tomatoes, and chicken stock. Scoop out the tomato paste into the pot, along with the soy sauce, worcestershire, and Dijon. Stir to combine, adding another small pinch of salt and pepper. (Seasoning each layer of the dish) Lastly, add your bundles of thyme and rosemary, and place the seared pot roast into the dutch oven. You can spoon some of the juices and veggies on top of the roast. Bring it all to a boil, and then place the lid onto the dutch oven.
Place the dutch oven into the oven at 325* for 2 1/2 hours.
Lower the heat to 250* and continue to cook for another hour.
Once the pot roast is cooked, remove the roast and set it aside. Scoop out as much vegetables as possible, and put into a serving dish. With the juices that are left, pour them into a blender if you want a smoother gravy. Blend until smooth and return it to the pot. If you do not mind the gravy chunky, just turn the heat on medium/low and bring it to a simmer. In a small bowl, mix together 2 Tbsp butter and 2 Tbsp flour. Add this to your sauce to make your gravy and stir until it thickens, on medium/low heat. It only takes a few minutes. Slice your pot roast as you like, and pour your gravy over top. Dinner’s Ready!
We served our pot roast with our favorite Dill Potatoes, want the recipe? Here ya go!
INGREDIENTS:
- 1/2 bag of organic golden potatoes
- Few Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Granulated Garlic
- Dried Dill
- Salt and Pepper
DIRECTIONS:
Pre heat the oven to 375* Line a large baking sheet with foil, and non stick cooking spray
Wash, and cut your potatoes into quarter chunks. Lay them into one layer onto your baking sheet. Liberally drizzle with the olive oil. And then, do the same with the dill, garlic, salt and pepper. Toss all together with your hands, and place the potatoes in the oven for 45-50 minutes, tossing half way through the cooking process.