Recipe of the week

Savory Beef Roast

Ingredients

• Kosher Salt
• Ground black pepper
• Smoked Paprika
• One 4 to 5-pound chuck roast
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 whole sweet yellow onions, peeled and halved
• 6 to 8 whole carrots, peeled or unpeeled, sliced
• 1 cup red wine
• 2-3 cups beef broth
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 2 or 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• ———————-
• If adding root vegetables:
• 6 Yukon Gold Potatoes, quartered
• 4 carrots, peeled cut into 2-inch chunks
• 2 sweet yellow onions, peeled and cut into chunks
• ———————-
• For the gravy (only if needed):
• 2 tablespoons corn starch
• ¼ cup water

Instructions

1. For the Pot Roast:
2. Preheat the oven to 275F.
3. Generously sprinkle chuck roast with kosher salt, black pepper and smoked paprika.
4. Heat olive oil and butter in large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Place the halved onions in the pot. Brown onions on both sides, remove them from the heat to a large plate.
5. Place carrots in the same hot pot and cook them until slightly browned. Remove carrots from the heat and place with the onions.
6. If needed, add a bit more olive oil to the medium-hot pot. Place the prepared meat in the pot. DO NOT MOVE it or flip it for at least 3 minutes or until it has a nice sear. Turn it over to sear on the other side. Once seared, remove the meat from the pan and place it with the onions and carrots.
7. With the burner on medium-high, slowly pour the wine into the pot. De-glaze (remove the cooked goodies stuck in the pot) the pot by scraping the bits off the bottom while the wine boils. This process is crucial to getting the most flavor back into the roast while it cooks.
8. Once the pan is de-glazed, place the meat back into the pot. Place onions and carrots on top of the meat and add enough beef stock to cover the meat halfway.
9. Place the fresh herbs (or sprinkle the dried herbs) on top of the meat.
10. Place the lid on the pan, then roast the meat for 3½-4 hours or until fork tender.
11. *(If adding extra root vegetables to eat with the roast, add the cut-up vegetables the last hour of cooking. Be sure to place the lid back on for the last hour of cooking.)
12. The meat will be fall-apart tender and delicious when done.
13. —————————-
14. For the Best-Ever Pot Roast Gravy:
15. Remove the sprigs of rosemary, thyme and cooked roast from the pan. Using a hand-blender, immerse the blender into the cooked carrot/onion/pot juices and blend until the desired textured is achieved. I blend the gravy until – almost- completely smooth. This gravy is unbelievably full of flavor. If the gravy is a little on the thin side, stir 2 tablespoons corn starch with ¼ cup cold water then pour the cornstarch mixture into the gravy. Bring gravy to a boil, turn down the heat to a low-boil; stir the gravy until it thickens. (Repeat if necessary).
16. Enjoy!

Notes

The cooked pot roast and gravy freeze beautifully. Freeze the meat and gravy in separate freezer bags or containers. When ready to serve, either thaw the meat or gravy overnight in the fridge or reheat, covered, in the microwave or oven. It is a good idea to add a little extra beef broth or even water to the meat before reheating.