It's cold and snowing in New England... time for some comfort food!
A semi-classic New England Pot Roast.
Render the beef fat taken off the roast..
Remove the rendered fat and place the roast in the skillet; brown on all sides
Add the beef stock and herbs; cover and simmer for three hours;
then add the vegetables...
Cook for another hour (or until the vegetables are fork-tender)
Serve (I know the plate presentation leaves a lot to be desired but it sure tasted good!)
Yankee-style Pot Roast
It’s wintertime in New England and the weather prediction is calling for snow. What better of a meal is a classic pot roast with roasted vegetables?
I stud my beef roast with garlic slivers before browning. While some chefs suggest dusting the roast with flour before cooking; I think that only browns the flour, not the meat.
(You could also do this in a slow cooker allowing it to cook on low for eight hours or so. Just add the vegetables during the last two hours of cooking.)
1 (3 1/2- to 4-pound) boneless beef chuck or top round roast
5 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
Coarse kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Fresh thyme
4 cups beef stock (homemade or reduced sodium packaged stock)
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 cups diced Red Bliss potatoes
2 cups carrots, sliced in one-inch lengths
2 cups celery, sliced in one-inch lengths
2 cups roughly chopped yellow onion, divided
1 cup chopped parsnips (or turnip)
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley, divided
1/3 cup all-purpose flour dissolved in 1/2 cup of room temperature beef stock
(or two tablespoons dark roux)
2 tablespoons minced scallions
Trim the fat cap from the roast; dice and reserve. Using a paring knife, cut deep slits into the roast and press the sliced garlic into the slits. Liberally season the roast with salt, pepper and thyme.
Heat a large cast iron deep skillet over medium-high heat (I use a Lodge 12-inch deep skillet but any Dutch oven would work). Add the reserved fat and sauté until the fat has rendered. Using a slotted spoon, remove the rendered beef fat and discard.
Add one cup of the coarsely chopped onions to the skillet and sauté in the beef fat until browned. Add the other vegetables and cook until browned. Remove the vegetables and reserve.
Add the roast to the skillet; brown the roast on all sides.
When the roast is nicely browned (about three to four minutes per side), add the beef stock, bay leaves, tomato paste and Worcestershire to the skillet. Stir. Cover and cook over medium to medium-low heat for three hours or until the meat is barely tender.
Add the potatoes and parsnips; cook for 30 minutes then add the roasted vegetables (carrots, onion and celery). Cook until the vegetables are fork tender, about 30 minutes.
Remove the roast from the skillet, transfer to a warmed plate, and tent with aluminum foil.
Add the flour slurry (or roux) to the skillet and cook until the sauce is thickened. Add two tablespoons of the parsley. Adjust seasonings as needed.
Slice the roast into 1/4- or 1/2-inch slices; garnish with remaining minced parsley and chopped scallions. Serve with the vegetables and crusty bread.
(Leftovers, if any, make a great base for beef stew!)
