Recipe of the Day

We had a reasonable expectation that today would be rainy.  It wasn't necessarily cold by Wisconsin standards but it was dank.  We had a plan for a rainy day as I removed a ginormous four pound Marchant's chuck roast from the freezer to thaw in the garage fridge a couple of days ago.

And I have a ginormous inventory of potatoes, onions and carrots from this year's garden.

I had an appointment out in the woods late morning to meet with a logger about a possible logging operation for this winter.  And by the time we returned to the house it was already drizzling.  Bidding him adieu I got to the kitchen just in time to observe the heavens open-up to the accompaniment of sheets of rain and thunder.

Time to initiate the plan.

Instructions here.....

Rainy Day Pot Roast

Ingredients

 

 

Fresh-cracked pepper and sea salt

Olive oil

One 3- to 5-pound chuck roast

2 garden onions, peeled and quartered

6 to 8 garden carrots, peeled, halved and cut into 3-inch pieces

6 medium garden potatoes, peeled and halved

1 cup red wine, optional

3 cups beef base

 

 

Directions

Preheat the oven to 275F.

1. Generously salt and pepper the meat.

2. Heat 3T olive oil your Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onions to the pot, browning them on all sides. Remove the onions to a bowl.

3. Add the carrots into the same very hot pot and until slightly browned. Add the carrots to the onions.

4. If needed add a bit more olive oil to the very hot pot. Place the meat in the pot and sear it for a couple of minutes on all sides until it is nice and brown all over. Remove the roast to a plate. 

5. With the burner still on high, use either red wine or beef broth (about 1 cup) to deglaze the pot. It is imperative to scrape-up every last tasty browned bit of flavor with a spatula. Place the roast back into the pot and add enough beef stock to reach halfway on the meat. 

6. Cover the meat with a layer of carrots followed by the onions.

7. Put the lid on and place in the oven. Roast for 3 hours for a 3-pound roast and 4 hours for a 4 to 5-pound roast. The roast is ready when it's fall-apart tender.

Pro-Tips – Remove the lid from the pot the last hour of cooking to reduce the liquid and brown the vegetables. 

Sometimes I like my potatoes smashed from the stove top. Sometimes I like them prepared in the same fashion as the carrots and onions. This is a matter of personal taste and mood. 

Final thought - if you plan to make gravy from the pot liquor it is wise to use a fat separator.

Good chow if you can get it.