Pot Roast

I grew up having pot roasts or chicken for dinner every Sunday.  I've branched out in my Sunday dinners--mostly because I haven't been able to make a consistently good pot roast.  I used to do okay but when I became tired of the onion soup flavoring method, I began looking for other ways.  One of the ways I have tried was Pioneer Woman's pot roast. . . although, I tried to do it in a crock pot and with dried herbs.  A sorry way to waste a roast.  Last Sunday I decided to actually follow the recipe and wallah!!!  It was successful!  While it was quite good and I'll definitely do it again, I will continue adding and trying new things until I think it is fantastic!  Below is the recipe.

 I also made the garlic roasted mashed potatoes.  I've had them before so I knew they would be well liked, but I still underestimated how many potatoes to cook.  And, since I refuse to fill my husband's arteries with as much butter, cream cheese and half and half as she suggests, I only used a few tablespoons of each butter and cream cheese and softened with milk.  Still fantastic.

Recipe: Pot Roast

Prep Time: 20 Minutes  |  Cook Time: 4 Hours  |  Difficulty: Easy  |  Servings: 10

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Ingredients

• 1 whole (4 To 5 Pounds) Chuck Roast
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 whole Onions
• 6 whole Carrots (Up To 8 Carrots)
• Salt To Taste
• Pepper To Taste
• 1 cup Red Wine (optional, You Can Use Beef Broth Instead)
• 2 cups To 3 Cups Beef Stock
• 3 sprigs Fresh Thyme, or more to taste
• 3 sprigs Fresh Rosemary, or more to taste

Preparation Instructions

First and foremost, choose a nicely marbled piece of meat. This will enhance the flavor of your pot roast like nothing else. Generously salt and pepper your chuck roast.

Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Then add 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil (or you can do a butter/olive oil split).

Cut two onions in half and cut 6 to 8 carrots into 2-inch slices (you can peel them, but you don’t have to). When the oil in the pot is very hot (but not smoking), add in the halved onions, browning them on one side and then the other. Remove the onions to a plate.

Throw the carrots into the same very hot pan and toss them around a bit until slightly browned, about a minute or so.

If needed, add a bit more olive oil to the very hot pan. Place the meat in the pan and sear it for about a minute on all sides until it is nice and brown all over. Remove the roast to a plate.

With the burner still on high, use either red wine or beef broth (about 1 cup) to deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom with a whisk to get all of that wonderful flavor up.

When the bottom of the pan is sufficiently deglazed, place the roast back into the pan and add enough beef stock to cover the meat halfway (about 2 to 3 cups). Add in the onion and the carrots, as well as 3 or 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary and about 3 sprigs of fresh thyme.

Put the lid on, then roast in a 275F oven for 3 hours (for a 3-pound roast). For a 4 to 5-pound roast, plan on 4 hours.

Recipe: Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Prep Time: 1 Hour  |  Cook Time: 15 Minutes  |  Difficulty: Easy  |  Servings: 8

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Ingredients

• 5 pounds Russet Or Yukon Gold Potatoes, Peeled And Rinsed
• 3 heads To 5 Heads Roasted Garlic
• 1-1/2 stick Regular Salted Butter (3/4 Cup)
• 8 ounces, weight Softened Cream Cheese
• 1/2 cup Or So Half-and-half (Or Heavy Cream, If You're Feeling Naughty)
• Salt To Taste
• Black Pepper To Taste

Preparation Instructions

(Prep time includes time needed to roast garlic.)

Cut the peeled potatoes into pieces and cook in boiling water until fork-tender. Drain water and return to pot, and mash potatoes over low heat until lots of the steam has escaped.

Next, mash in softened butter, cream cheese, half-and-half, and salt to taste. Dump in three to five heads of roasted garlic cloves; stir together, then check seasoning. Be sure to salt adequately.

Add some fresh ground black pepper, and serve with one or two roasted garlic cloves on top. 

Crash Potatoes, Green Beans Tuesday

The menu tonight: Crash Potatoes, Honey Cashew Green Beans and Cantaloupe

Thanks to my friend Jenny Hansen, who pointed out this yummy recipe that has become a family favorite. I have long visited Pioneer Woman's cooking blog, but had missed this simple, yummy recipe. I love it because potatoes are so cheap and this one doesn't use a ton of fats to make the potatoes yummy. I don't often have small red potatoes on hand to make this. . . it works just fine with larger potatoes cut and then boiled (I leave the skin on--love that about this recipe too, cuts back in prep time!). I typically only use sea salt and pepper on these. Simple and yummy!

The green beans are a family favorite. I use a little less butter (by about half), throw in a few more nuts, add a little extra honey and add 1/4 tsp garlic salt. They are also Y.U.M. with 2 slices of crispy, crumbled bacon.

Dutch Oven Potatoes & French Bread

An old standard around here is Stove top Dutch Oven Potatoes. Everyone loves it and when I season it right, I'm happy! Here's how I do it:Preparations:

Cook 1/2lb. bacon (when I find my pictures, I'll describe how I do it.) Crumble and reserve.

Slice 1 onion,

Peel and slice 5-10 potatoes, depending on size and how many you are serving

Peel and cut into large match sticks, 5-10 carrots, depending on how much you like carrots

Fry one slice of bacon in the bottom of the Dutch Oven Pan. When crispy, remove from pan and add 1 sliced onion. Sprinkle generously with pepper and fry slightly. (just 2-3 minutes) Layer sliced potatoes and carrots together in about 1/2 " layer (or just enough to cover the onions). Sprinkle generously with salt (I like Sea Salt for potatoes) and lightly with pepper. Add another layer of potatoes and carrots. Sprinkle generously with garlic salt, a little sugar (abt. 1 TBSP) and pepper. Repeat these steps until all of the vegetables are in the pan. Add about 3/4-1 cup water depending on how many potatoes you have. You can always add more later or simmer with the lid off to let water evaporate, but we don't like them too dry. Stir lightly to remove most of the onions off the bottom. Put on lid and simmer. Stir 2-3 times during cooking to distribute seasoning and taste to see if more is needed. Don't stir too many times or your potatoes will go mushy. While cooking, crumble bacon, slice cheese and chop 5-6 green onions. When the potatoes are done, turn to low and sprinkle with bacon and green onions. Cover with sliced cheese. Cover until cheese is melted. Tweak as desired!

French Bread

1 1/4 cups warm water

3 TBSP olive oil (omit if you want a chewier bread; I do both ways depending on my mood)

3 TBSP sugar

1 1/2 tsp salt

4 cups flour

1 TBSP yeast

Place ingredients in bread pan. Select dough cycle.

When dough is done, put on cupboard sprayed with Pam. Roll into large rectangle. Cut the rectangle into 3 pieces.

Roll each piece tightly and roll the ends to taper. Place on greased cookie sheet. Brush with egg/water mixture (1 TBSP water). Make deep diagonal cuts in bread. I use a fork to hold the bread in place while I cut. If I don't, it slides around and getting uniform cuts is difficult. The fork lines don't show much in the end.

Let rise until doubled in size. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes. For crispier bottoms, sprinkle corn meal on your pan. For extra crispy crusts put another cookie sheet of water in the oven at the same time. (TIP!! Let the water pan cool before removing, but set the timer for an hour or so so that you remember to take it out. It will be hot, but not as hot.)

This is what the bread looks like just before putting it in the oven. As you can see, I'm not a perfectionist as to how it looks! It always gets eaten just the same. . . )

(I guess I should have taken a picture of the cooked bread :( )