Some days it's time to pull out low or no falutin' recipes, ones that can for most part fix themselves with minimal stirring, poking, prodding and fussing with guaranteed results in deliciousness.
And in my book events that fall in such a category are & not restricted to -
- BBC 's special showing of Agatha Christie movies that require an uninterrupted 2 hours of watching, thank you very much!
- Kids swim lessons that take forever
- Phonecalls that dump you into voicemail with elevator music where the hold times are is a 45 minutes and counting.
- Chuck roast that is on not only on sale but on bargain bonanza with buy one, get one free
- Rather than slaving on a hot stove, spend time racing through seasons of 'Prime Suspect ' starring Helen Mirren as DCI Tennison
And when it comes to low falutin' comfort food few things can complete with a good ole' pot roast. I consider this version high on my list because it pretty much uses stuff that we have handy in the freezer, fridge and pantry and also favors those ingredients that are on their last legs that we wouldn't dream of using in salads and such.
Begin with the meat and prepare the other ingredients while the beef is browning.
Beef chuck steak - With a sharp chef's knife, cut away the excess fat. Cut meat into 1-1/2" chunks.
Dry out meat by pressing meat between 2 kitchen paper towels.
Heat a cast iron pan or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add no oil at this point.
In a single layer, add the beef chunks to the pan.
Brown on each side, then flip over an brown on the other side. This should take about 10 minutes for each batch & may need to be cooked in 2 batches.
Do not over crowd the pan or the meat will not brown.
While the meat is browning, prepare the ingredients -
Carrots - Peel & cut into 1-1/2" thick lengths. Discard the top.
Onion - Peel, discard the skin. Halve, & then dice.
Garlic - Peel, discard skin and crush cloves. Set aside.
Parsley - Discard the stalks. Finely chop the leaves and set aside.
Baby red potatoes - Wash, cut away any 'eyes' or brown spots & leave whole.If using regular potatoes, peel and cut into large 1-1/2" chunks
Mushrooms - Wipe with a damp cloth. Halve. I leave the stems on but if you prefer you can cut away the stems. Discard any mushrooms with soft brown or rotten spots.
Once the meat has been browned in batches, add a tbs of olive oil to the pan and transfer all the meat into the pan all at once.
Add onions, garlic & celery. Saute for about 5 minutes stirring off and on till the onions have softened - about 5-7 minutes.
Add the carrots, potatoes, mushrooms and stir.
In a clean bowl, add the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and stir till blended. Add the red wine if using and stir till mixed.
Add this mixture to the meat and vegetables and saute for 2-3 minutes.
Add the beef broth. Bring the stew to a boil. Cover with a tight fitting lid and lower the heat to the lower setting (this is a good time to begin a movie..smiles)
Cook for about 2 hours or so or until the meat is tender when pierced with a fork. Stir off and on during this period.
Taste and adjust seasonings.
In a bowl remove 1/4 cup of the stew soup and to it stir 1 tbs cornstarch. Stir till dissolved. Pour into the pot roast and stir.
Once again cover the pan with a tight fitting lid and cook for another 1/2 hour.
The pot roast will now have a thick gravy. You will want to leave some gravy in the pan as it is delicious over mashed potatoes. Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley.
The pot roast is brilliant with Yorkshire puddings! It figures that Beef Pot Roast and Yorkshire puddings is Britain's National Dish - what a splendid combination.
The pot roast with its melt in the mouth meat, succulent vegetables and rich hearty flavors is a classic and will always be a favorite on our dinner table. As far as comfort foods go, this one's hard to beat! Wonderful for nippy evenings as well.
Don't forget to go dig out the post on Yorkshire Puddings.
Recipe for
Low-falutin' Pot Roast
Preparation time - 15 minutes
Cooking time - 2-1/2 to 3 hours
Serves 4-6
Shopping list
Chuck roast (pot roast) 4-5 lbs
1 large yellow onion
3 stalks celery
5 garlic cloves
1 carton fresh mushrooms
4 thin fresh carrots
8-10 baby red potatoes or 3-4 large red potatoes
2 tbs tomato paste
2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 cup red wine
2 cups beef broth
1 tsp sugar
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
5-6 sprigs fresh parsley, for garnish
Preparation -
Beef chuck steak - With a sharp chef's knife, cut away the excess fat. Cut meat into 1-1/2" chunks. Dry out meat by pressing meat between 2 kitchen paper towels.
Carrots - Peel & cut into 1-1/2" thick lengths. Discard the top.
Onion - Peel, discard the skin. Halve, & then dice.
Garlic - Peel, discard skin and crush cloves. Set aside.
Parsley - Discard the stalks. Finely chop the leaves and set aside.
Baby red potatoes - Wash, cut away any 'eyes' or brown spots & leave whole.If using regular potatoes, peel and cut into large 1-1/2" chunks
Mushrooms - Wipe with a damp cloth. Halve. I leave the stems on but if you prefer you can cut away the stems. Discard any mushrooms with soft brown or rotten spots.
Cooking Method-
Heat a cast iron pan or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add no oil at this point.
In a single layer, add the beef chunks to the pan.
Brown on each side, then flip over an brown on the other side. This should take about 10 minutes for each batch & may need to be cooked in 2 batches.
Do not over crowd the pan or the meat will not brown.
Once the meat has been browned in batches, add a tbs of olive oil to the pan and transfer all the meat into the pan all at once.
Add onions, garlic & celery. Saute for about 5 minutes stirring off and on till the onions have softened - about 5-7 minutes.
Add the carrots, potatoes, mushrooms and stir.
In a clean bowl, add the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and stir till blended. Add the red wine if using and stir till mixed.
Add this mixture to the meat and vegetables and saute for 2-3 minutes.
Add the beef broth. Bring the stew to a boil. Cover with a tight fitting lid and lower the heat to the lowest setting (this is a good time to begin a movie..smiles)
Cook for about 2 hours or so or until the meat is tender when pierced with a fork. Stir off and on during this period.
Taste and adjust seasonings.
In a bowl remove 1/4 cup of the pot roast gravy and to it stir 1 tbs cornstarch. Stir till dissolved. Pour into the pot roast and stir.
Once again cover the pan with a tight fitting lid and cook for another 1/2 hour.
The pot roast will now have a thick gravy. You will want to leave some gravy in the pan as it is delicious over mashed potatoes. Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley.
Serve immediately over mashed potatoes and with Yorkshire puddings.
Enjoy!
