Sherry Pot Roast with Rosemary, and Thyme is slow cooked in the oven with carrots and potatoes and turns out tender and luscious with the most amazing gravy!
I admit it, I've never been much of a pot roast fan; I recall my mom making them but I don't recall that I carried a memory that made it important that I do. But I have a friend who waxes poetic over them so I thought I would give Anita's recipe a try; this Sherry Pot Roast with Rosemary and Thyme.
Turns out that the recipe she loves isn't her mom's either, it's one from Giada DeLaurentis! Anita revised it a bit; she used red wine instead of sherry and I've gone back to the original with sherry with a couple of twists of my own. Both of us opted out of the cipollini onions and omitted the fennel bulbs.
The onions because I had white ones in my pantry and well, the fennel because, you know, licorice? I enjoy fennel in some veggie dishes but I couldn't imagine that anise flavor with a post roast so out it went.
I think the one thing that made this dish special was the gravy. Instead of adding either flour or cornstarch to thicken it, the liquids and veggies are blended together. Makes it both thicker and so delicious, this is a good trick for sure. I actually included both baby potatoes and extra carrots so that I could have some to blend and some to serve on the side. The original one pot meal!
I blended it until it was still sort of chunky, just until it appeared thick enough but would still have some texture. I do have to laugh, I bought a bag of different type of baby potatoes...and the one lone purple one in this photo seems a bit forlorn but it is a dash of color in a dish that is typically brown on brown with a hint of orange, always an ugly but delicious duckling!
This was a big pot roast for one person but I had planned ahead; my neighbor Amy did the shopping, we split the cost, and I did the cooking and gave her half of the finished meal. We work together like that a lot. I haven't been in a Costco since Covid started so she shops and I cook and we both enjoyed a great meal.
Still, even with sharing, it was enough for three meals for me. One night with carrots, potatoes, and green beans, another night served over egg noodles, and then the last meal was maybe the best. I LOVE a great sandwich and this was certainly that. Pretzel rolls, arugula, canned French Fried Onion Rings, and a sauce I made to compliment the beef.
Next time I might have to keep the whole thing, I would have loved another one of those sandwiches! This dip was so easy to make and absolutely divine. Mayonnaise, horseradish, and whole grain mustard. I apologize for not tracking the quantity so if you're game to try it, start with a quarter cup mayo, and a tablespoon each of horseradish and whole grain mustard and season to your taste.
I've become enamored of pot roast after this effort, I've already got two more planned. The next one will be Italian in nature and the third...I have no idea. Maybe I should try something German-ish...to honor my heritage. Or maybe Mexican; I love adding new ingredients to this time honored family favorite and discovering something old that is new, and so delicious, again!
