A Feast So Good, You’d Die For More.

If you’ve ever wanted to create a meal that people would die for, I have the perfect recipe for you. With this recipe, you will make a pot roast that is so tender and luscious, it will easily slide off the bone. It will be so delicious that your guests will pick every morsel off the bone, as if they were a starving fox that had been roaming the fields for days. Just like the fox, it will be a well-earned reward for your guests to show for your many hours of hard work and planning.

Your roast will slow-cook in a bed of freshly dug up potatoes. The more recently the potato has been dug up, the more tender and juicy it will be. I always slow-cook my potatoes with my roast, giving them time to cook through thoroughly. This will help capture the lovely flavours coming from the liquids of your meats. 

As your roast cooks, you will consistently bathe it and the potatoes with the bubbling juices from the bottom of your pan. This will ensure that your meat is also at its juiciest. The longer you cook it, the deeper the flavours will be. I also ensure that the potatoes reach at least halfway up the roast. This helps it from drying out. The liquids left over will have cooked down and thickened with the help of the potatoes, making a wonderful au jus.

When it comes time to carve that delightful roast, your guests will also praise you for your wonderful carving and knife skills. For special dinners, such as Christmas or Thanksgiving, your husband will be the one to carve. For all other meals, it is up to you, as the wife, to prepare the roast for your guests. It is important to carve your roast just so, and that takes a lot of practice and skill. Your pieces should always be neat, clean, and proportional. This way, everyone will get an equal amount, and your guests won’t find the need to poison each other’s drinks to get the best pieces. I always say, your skills as a butcher at the dining table show your skills as a cook in the kitchen.

In my household, my husband has a hectic job, which can sometimes lead to long hours and missed dinners. On the evenings that he won’t be home for dinner, I take that time to do all of my preparation and, in some cases, begin putting the ingredients together. This will help you spend less time doing the essential work on the day you are serving your roast. I am a stickler for getting ahead of the game and making sure that all of my important preparation is done ahead of time. This takes much of the stress out of the final result, leaving you more time to entertain your guests or, in most cases, serve your husband a delightful and stress-free meal. Most importantly, this allows you to hide all evidence of the work you had to do for your delectable creation, making you look more like an expert.

At the end of the meal, a housewife’s true sign of a successful dinner is when the bones are picked clean and there is no proof that any food had been on the plate. I know it gives me pride. 

Ingredients

You will need A 4-pound piece of beef, such as a chuck or round roast.

Fat from the meat or a large knob of butter.

Vegetables:

3 to 4 large potatoes, chopped

2 carrots, chopped.

1 onion, one left whole and stuck with cloves, the other chopped.

1 cup celery, chopped.

Any other root vegetables, such as parsnips or turnips, cut into chunks.

Flavorings:

Salt and whole black pepper.

A small piece of lemon peel.

A bunch of sweet herbs (e.g., thyme, bay leaves, parsley).

A tablespoon of mushroom ketchup or pickled walnut vinegar, if available.

Liquid:

Enough boiling water, beef broth, or small beer to partially submerge the meat.

For thickening: Flour, mixed with a little cold water to form a smooth slurry. 

Instructions

Prepare the meat: Season the beef generously with salt and pepper, then dust all sides with flour. 

Brown the meat: In a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, melt the fat over medium-high heat. Add the floured beef and brown it well on all sides. Remove the beef from the pot and set it aside.

Brown the vegetables: Add the chopped onions and other root vegetables to the pot and cook until they begin to soften and brown. These will add a deep, rich flavor.

Simmer the roast: Return the meat to the pot. Add the boiling water, broth, or small beer, along with the whole onion (stuck with cloves), lemon peel, sweet herbs, and any other seasonings like mushroom ketchup or vinegar. The liquid should come about halfway up the meat.

Slow cook: Bring the mixture to a simmer, then reduce the heat to very low. Cover the pot tightly and let it stew for several hours until the meat is completely tender. Turn the meat occasionally to ensure even cooking. A modern version would be to braise it in a low oven (around 250°F / 120°C) for several hours.

Add final vegetables: About 40 minutes before serving, you may add other vegetables like potatoes and carrots directly to the pot to cook alongside the meat. Alternatively, boil them separately to maintain better color and flavor, as some recipes recommend.

Make the gravy: When the meat is tender, remove it from the pot and keep it warm. Strain the cooking liquid to remove the solids. Whisk the flour slurry into the simmering liquid and cook until it thickens to a gravy consistency.

Serve: Slice the tender pot roast and place it on a serving platter. Pour some of the gravy over the meat and serve the remaining gravy in a sauceboat. Serve with the cooked vegetables and, for an authentic touch, with mashed potatoes.