When I make this easy Sunday pot roast, it fills the house with a warm, rich beefy smell that immediately makes me think of my Nana. My Nana made pot roast all the time; even in the middle of summer which is what Nashville feels like this week despite it now officially being Fall. TOO HOT! Anyway, Nana would steam up the windows in her tiny kitchen on Sand Road in Port Austin all day long and then we’d eat like kings and queens later that night. You can’t forget to mention that pot roast gives the most delicious leftovers for the rest of the week. Let’s face it, pot roast that’s been sitting in it’s juices overnight is always better on day two (and three and four…).
This pot roast recipe is pretty simple. Buy a two to three pound chuck roast. It will most likely be tied together with twine and most definitely be marbled with fat. Generously salt and pepper the roast on all sides then sear all sides in olive oil in a super hot Dutch oven on the stove. Throw in a couple of quartered vidalia onions and rough chopped carrots. Add three cups of beef stock (I try to find low sodium or unsalted so I can adjust my own salt levels) and one cup of water. The roast should be about three-fourths submerged.
mmmmm, beefy
I really like thyme, (and it’s also what is still alive in my herb planter outside) so instead of taking the time (HA) to strip the leaves, I simply tied some kitchen twine around a few sprigs and plopped it into the pot.
when i went outside to cut the thyme, our entire backyard (and perhaps neighborhood?) smelled like pot roast because our kitchen exhaust fan blows into the backyard. 🙂
The kitchen twine makes it easy to fish the herbs out of your pot roast later, once the roast is finished.
thyme to roast!
Bring your roast and stock up to a simmer on the stove, then cover it and put it in a 350°F degree oven for 2 hours. After 2 hours, remove the lid, add potatoes and mushrooms and let it cook for another 30-45 minutes, uncovered. Once the potatoes are tender, remove everything from the pot, leaving only the juices. Take a half cup of the juice from the pot and whisk in the 2 tablespoons of wondra to make a slurry. Over medium-high heat, whisk the slurry into the stock, stirring continually until it thickens. OMG it smells so good in here!
Pot Roast
Yields: 1 1/2 – 2 pounds of meat
Ingredients:
- 2 – 3 lb chuck roast
- salt and pepper (enough to cover all sides of the roast)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 vidalia onions (quartered)
- 2 carrots, peeled and rough chopped into 2″ chunks
- 3 cups unsalted beef stock
- 1 cup water
- 10 sprigs of thyme, tied together with kitchen twine
- 4 yukon gold potatoes, quartered
- 6 crimini mushrooms, thickly sliced
- 2 tablespoons wondra (flour substitute)
Method:
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Generously salt and pepper the roast on all sides, leaving on the butcher’s twine. Heat the olive oil in a large dutch oven over high heat. Sear all sides of the roast until deeply browned, about 4 minutes per side.
- Add quartered vidalia onions and rough chopped carrots. Pour three cups of the beef stock along with one cup of water. (The roast should be about three-fourths submerged.)
- Add the bundle of thyme and bring your roast and stock up to a simmer on the stove, then cover it and put it in a 350 degree oven for 2 hours.
- After 2 hours have passed, remove the lid, add potatoes and mushrooms and let it cook without the lid on for another 30-45 minutes in the oven continuing at the same temp, 350°F. Once the potatoes are tender, remove everything from the pot, leaving only the liquid.
- Remove the butcher’s twine from the pot roast and discard the bouquet of thyme.
- Return the pot containing the liquid to the stove top. Take a half cup of the liquid from the pot and whisk in the 2 tablespoons of wondra to make a slurry. Over medium-high heat, whisk the slurry into the pot, stirring continually until it thickens to make awesome gravy.
- Pour gravy overtop of roast, potatoes, mushrooms, carrots and onions. ENJOY!
