Cajun Pot Roast
Here in New England we have a classic comfort food meal: New England Pot Roast… Fork tender beef roast, carrots, celery, turnip and potatoes smothered with thick brown gravy. It’s a great meal for a cold winter night but I wanted something a bit different for the latest snowstorm that dumped 10 to 15 inches of snow on the Cape so I developed a Cajun Pot Roast recipe.
1 (2 1/2-pound) beef eye round roast
5 cloves garlic, peeled and cut into slivers
3 tablespoons Cajun seasoning (homemade or your favorite)
2 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons tomato paste
3 cups beef stock (or more if necessary)
3 sprigs fresh thyme
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 3/4-inch dice (about 2 cups)
3 carrots, peeled and cut into one-inch pieces (about 1 3/4 cups)
2 jalapeños, seeded and minced (about 1/4 cup)
1 green or red bell pepper, sliced into 1/4-inch strips (about 1 1/2 cups)
3 tablespoons Louisiana-style hot sauce, divided
Diced scallions or minced parsley, for garnish
For the Cajun mirepoix (Trinity):
1 cup finely diced yellow onion (about 1/2 medium onion)
1/2 cup finely diced bell pepper (about 3/4 pepper)
1/2 cup finely diced celery (about two ribs)
Using a paring knife, cut slits into the roast and insert a sliver of garlic into each slit. Liberally season the roast with the Cajun seasoning.
Heat a Dutch oven or deep cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add the oil and swirl it around. When the oil begins the shimmer, add the beef and sear on all sides. Remove the beef to a plate. Add the mirepoix to the pot and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about three to five minutes. (Do in batches, if necessary, so the vegetables caramelize and don’t steam.) Add the tomato paste, stir, and cook briefly.
Add the beef stock and scrape the bottom of the pan to collect all the browned bits. Add the beef, Worcestershire, thyme and two tablespoons of the hot sauce; bring to a low boil. (The liquid should come about one-half way up the meat. Add more stock if needed.) Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover.
Cook the roast for 2 1/2 hours adding more stock if necessary. Add the potatoes and carrots; cook for 20 minutes. Add the sliced bell pepper and jalapeño, cook for another 10 minutes. Continue cooking until the potatoes are tender, about another five to 10 minutes.
Remove the roast and vegetables from the skillet. Discard the thyme. Tent the food with aluminum foil and keep warm in a low oven. Strain the sauce, or not. Return the heat to medium high. Reduce the sauce by one-half and add the remaining hot sauce. Thicken the sauce, if necessary with a corn starch slurry (one tablespoon corn starch combined with one tablespoon cold water for every two cups of liquid). Bring the sauce to a low boil and cook for one minute until the sauce thickens. Adjust seasonings. (You might want to add freshly ground black pepper.)
Slice the meat against the grain into 1/4-inch slices and place on a warmed serving dish. Spoon the vegetables around the meat and ladle the sauce atop the meat. Garnish with scallions (or parsley or both) and serve immediately.
Studded and seasoned beef roast
The trinity... bell pepper, onion and celery
The other characters
Roast after searing
Plated roast and veggies
Another view... A nice meal for a snowy night
