Pot Roast
You may have good or bad feelings associated with this recipe… maybe you were used to dried out, flavorless versions at your Grandma’s, or maybe you have fond memories of the house filled with the wonderful aromas of roasting beef and onions on Sunday afternoons, like me. If you haven’t tried a Pot Roast recipe for yourself, you should. It really is a treat… especially this version with a cup of red wine. If you are feeling gourmet-ish, you can add some sprigs of thyme or rosemary. It is a great recipe to make on Sunday afternoon – the house smells wonderful the entire day, I can use a glass of wine leftover from dinner on Saturday night, and the leftover roast makes great sandwiches on Monday.
Pot Roast
with Mashed Potatoes & Gravy
2-3 pound Chuck Roast salt & pepper
1 cup of red wine
2 cups of beef broth
1 yellow onion
3 carrots, sliced
1 cup of mushrooms, halved
……
2 pounds of potatoes
4 tablespoons of butter (1/2 stick)
1/4 cup of sour cream
……
2 tablespoons of flour
Pat the chuck roast with a paper towel, then coat it in salt & pepper. Heat a large dutch oven (I use my Staub, but your can use another stove-top & oven-safe pan) over high heat for 1 minute. Sear each side of the chuck roast for 2-3 minutes, browning it on each side. When all sides are browned, add red wine and beef broth to the pan with the beef. Quarter the onion, then put it in the pot with the beef, wine and stock.
Roast covered in a 250 degree oven for 4 hours, until the beef pulls apart easily. Add the mushrooms and carrots into the pot, then roast for 30 more minutes.
Mashed Potatoes:
Cut the potatoes in quarters and put them in a large pot filled with water. Boil the potatoes until fork tender, about 10-15 minutes. Drain the potatoes, the pour them into a KitchenAid mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add butter and sour cream. Turn the mixer on low, and continue stirring until the potatoes mash up. Salt and pepper to taste. If you need to keep them warm, place them in an oven safe dish covered with foil and keep at 250 degrees until you are ready to serve. Remove the roast from the oven.
Remove the meat from the pan and set it aside, cover with foil. Place the dutch oven with the onions, carrots, mushrooms, wine and drippings on the stove over medium heat. Whisk in the flour until smooth. You may need to add more flour if you’d like a thicker gravy. Heat for 3-5 minutes until it thickens and is bubbly. Add roast back into the gravy and vegetables. Serve with warm mashed potatoes.
