Comfort Food
I hardly ever eat red meat anymore, but yesterday was so cold and blustery that some primordial part of my brain stem began screaming "HOT RED MEAT! HOT RED MEAT! PREFERABLY WITH SOME SORT OF GRAVY! AND MAYBE SOME ROASTED VEGETABLES ON THE SIDE, IF IT'S NOT TOO MUCH TROUBLE?"
So I gave in and made what turned out to be the most incredibly flavorful and delicious pot roast I have ever created. Didn't hurt that Doug had given me a large Le Creuset covered casserole that was just crying out for something of the kind. And a subscription of Cook's Illustrated Magazine last year. With a few tweaks, this is mostly their recipe from the Nov-Dec 2010 issue.
Heat oven to 300F
Rub 2.5 lb chuck roast tied for roasting with a tablespoon of Kosher salt
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in bottom of dutch oven over high flame and brown roast well on all sides. (I always thought this was to seal in juices, but it actually kicks off the Maillard reaction, creating thousands of new compounds that intensify the beef flavor. Who knew? Well, Cook's Illustrated did.)
Remove meat to plate and add 2 tablespoons butter to dutch oven.
Slice 2 med. onions thinly and saute in butter until soft and beginning to brown. Add and saute for 5 minutes:
1 cup chopped carrot
3/4 cup chopped celery
Add two cloves of chopped garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in:
1 cup beef broth
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 tablespoon tomato paste
large bay leaf
1 teaspoon dry thyme
Bring to simmer.
Return beef to dutch oven, sprinkle liberally with fresh ground pepper. Seal pan with foil, then put on lid and roast for 1.5 hrs. Turn meat over, reseal pan and roast 1.5 hrs.
Add:
1 lb. peeled carrots, cut into 2" pieces
1 lb. potatoes. Recipe called for peeled russets quartered, but I used small organic purple potatoes with the skins on. Looked gorgeous with the carrots!
Reseal pan and roast for 45 min- 1 hr, until meat and veg are tender
Remove meat and veg to platter and cover.
Strain juices from pan, put solids (chopped onion, carrot, and celery) in blender. When the juices have settled skim fat and add enough beef broth to equal three cups. Puree solids and juices until smooth and pour into saucepan and simmer. Add:
1 pinch thyme
1/4 cup dry red wine
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
Slice pot roast and serve with veg and gravy.
Fast for the next three days.
So I gave in and made what turned out to be the most incredibly flavorful and delicious pot roast I have ever created. Didn't hurt that Doug had given me a large Le Creuset covered casserole that was just crying out for something of the kind. And a subscription of Cook's Illustrated Magazine last year. With a few tweaks, this is mostly their recipe from the Nov-Dec 2010 issue.
Heat oven to 300F
Rub 2.5 lb chuck roast tied for roasting with a tablespoon of Kosher salt
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in bottom of dutch oven over high flame and brown roast well on all sides. (I always thought this was to seal in juices, but it actually kicks off the Maillard reaction, creating thousands of new compounds that intensify the beef flavor. Who knew? Well, Cook's Illustrated did.)
Remove meat to plate and add 2 tablespoons butter to dutch oven.
Slice 2 med. onions thinly and saute in butter until soft and beginning to brown. Add and saute for 5 minutes:
1 cup chopped carrot
3/4 cup chopped celery
Add two cloves of chopped garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in:
1 cup beef broth
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 tablespoon tomato paste
large bay leaf
1 teaspoon dry thyme
Bring to simmer.
Return beef to dutch oven, sprinkle liberally with fresh ground pepper. Seal pan with foil, then put on lid and roast for 1.5 hrs. Turn meat over, reseal pan and roast 1.5 hrs.
Add:
1 lb. peeled carrots, cut into 2" pieces
1 lb. potatoes. Recipe called for peeled russets quartered, but I used small organic purple potatoes with the skins on. Looked gorgeous with the carrots!
Reseal pan and roast for 45 min- 1 hr, until meat and veg are tender
Remove meat and veg to platter and cover.
Strain juices from pan, put solids (chopped onion, carrot, and celery) in blender. When the juices have settled skim fat and add enough beef broth to equal three cups. Puree solids and juices until smooth and pour into saucepan and simmer. Add:
1 pinch thyme
1/4 cup dry red wine
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
Slice pot roast and serve with veg and gravy.
Fast for the next three days.