Pot Roast with Potatoes for Pink Saturday

Photo courtesy of Bloomfield Farms



Earlier this week, Peg at Bloomfield Farms did a feature about cattle country. As I moved through her wonderful pictures I was struck by the pink tags that were placed in the ears of the cattle once they were in feedlots. My devious mind immediately knew what I would use as my lead photo today. If I led with a tagged steer, I'd need to feature a recipe for beef. So, I made a large pot roast for dinner tonight. It will provide two additional and easy meals that will allow more time for Thanksgiving preparation next week. I bake my pot roast in a low, slow oven. This recipe can be adapted for use in a slow cooker but the texture of the meat will not be the same. I, obviously, prefer the texture of the oven roast. I prepare a rub of sorts and work it into the beef with a jaccard or fork the night before I brown and roast the meat. I was born a contrarian, so I prefer to use flatter cuts of beef for our pot roasts. My favorite cuts are a boneless shoulder or center cut pot roast. Whatever cut is used, it's important that the braising liquid not cover the meat. It should come only halfway up its sides. I use white vermouth in this recipe. You can use red or white wine. My preference for vermouth is based on the fact that it's a fortified wine and can sit for a good while without turning to vinegar. A good French vermouth guarantees there'll always be a decent cooking wine in the house. That truc originally came from Julia Child. Whenever possible, I make the pot roast 24 hours before I plan to serve it. This allows neat slices of meat to be cut before they are warmed. Here's the recipe for the pot roast which, coincidentally, makes great French dip, cheese steaks or barbecued beef.

Pot Roast with Vegetables...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
4 large cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon dried rosemary, crushed
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoons coarsely cracked black pepper
1 (3-1/2 to 4 pound) boneless shoulder or center cut chuck roast
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup dry white vermouth or white wine
1/2 cup condensed beef broth, undiluted
1-1/2 pounds carrots, peeled and cut in 2-inch pieces
1-1/2 pounds small red or Yukon gold potatoes
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup water

Directions:
1) The night before roasting, combine garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Using a jaccard or meat fork, work the mixture into both sides of pot roast. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
2) Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. When it is hot, slowly brown roast, about 10 minutes per side. Add vermouth and beef broth and bring liquid to a simmer. Cover and transfer to oven. Cook, covered, turning roast every 30 minutes, until tender and meat fork easily slips in and out of meat, 3 1/2 to 4 hours. About an hour before end of cooking time, add carrots and potatoes to Dutch oven.
3) Transfer roast and vegetables to a serving platter. Tent with foil to keep warm. Skim fat from surface of braising liquid. Add water or stock if necessary to equal about 1-1/2 cups. Combine flour and water in a lidded jar. Shake until smooth. Add to braising liquid and simmer for about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4) Using chef’s or carving knife, cut meat against grain into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Pour about 1/2 cup sauce over meat. Serve, passing remaining sauce separately. Yield: 6 servings.


This post is being linked to:
Pink Saturday, sponsored by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound