Pot Roast, A Fall Classic

It’s time to break out your stew kettle, we’re making pot roast! This was one of my favorite meals growing up. There are several variations of this delicious dinner; some eat it as a stew, the French use red wine and call it beef burgundy, some people throw the vegetables away and use the beef as a main course. I, however, prefer to strain most of the broth and eat the meat with the vegetables as a meal in itself. This meal is very simple, albeit time consuming, to make, but the end result is out of this world.

Ingredients

3 lbs. beef chuck, cut into individual portions

2 cups carrots, peeled and roughly chopped

2 cups celery, roughly chopped

1 large onion, roughly chopped

1 lb Russet potatoes

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes, with juice

Water, ¾ of the tomato can

Beef broth, ¼ of the tomato can

½ cup flour, more or less; enough to dredge beef

3 bay leaves

4 cloves garlic, whole

Salt, to taste

Pepper, to taste

2 tbsp oil, I used EVOO

Process

In a large pot on medium heat, heat the oil. Cut the beef into large chunks. Dredge them in the flour and place in the hot oil. Cook for about 8-10 minutes on each side, or until a nice sear forms on the meat. When all of the sides are browned, put the meat on a plate and set aside.

In the same pot, add the mirepoix (carrots, celery, and onions) and cook until the veggies start to brown.

When the mirepoix is cooked, add the remaining ingredients to the pot and stir until the liquids are combined.

Add the meat, turn the flame all the way down to low, and cook for 2.5-3 hours, or until meat is tender enough to cut with a fork. It depends on the size of the beef chunks.

Serve with a slotted spoon one piece of beef and as many vegetables as you want.

Taste Test

The meat and vegetables were incredibly tender. The meat melts in your mouth while the veggies add their soft texture as well as their tasty flavor. The broth, which I poured on top of everything, was delicious. The beef flavors combined with the mirepoix is a classically delicious combination that everyone should have in their repertoire.

Leftover Quality

The beef isn’t as melt-in-your-mouth-y but you could still cut it with a fork. Plus, the flavors had the entire night to combine so that is always a nice bonus. This stuff will stay delicious for days.