I've never made a pot roast before and I was very keen and a little nervous to try it out. The flavour was unbelievable, let me just say that. The richness created by the red wine, Dijon mustard and tomato paste is just wonderful. The most important thing I noticed was that a really lean cut of meat is needed for this. I used a four pound chuck roast which was tender but had a good deal of fat on it. By the end of the four hour cooking process there was a TON of rendered fat. Waaaay too much. With the olive oil used to sear the beef and cook the veggies you really shouldn't need much fat on the cut, if any at all. The other thing is that because this is such a rich dish, it should be served with some kind of acid to help cut through it and help clean the palette between bites. A nice salad with a simple vinaigrette would have really complimented this dish. I will definitely add that next time.
If you choose to make a gravy with the remaining fond and juices, make sure you drain plenty of the fat leaving only a few tablespoons. With the gravy I made, I found myself adding more of the tomatoe paste, the Dijon and the red wine to bring out the flavours and I'm really glad I did - it was really bland without it. I got the recipe from Cooking Closet and it really is a winner.
Pot Roast
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon oil
3-5 pound chuck roast
1 tablespoon oil
1 onion (chopped)
4 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 cup red wine
3 cups beef broth
4 sprigs of thyme
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste
4 carrots (peeled and cut into bite sized pieces)
8 "new" potatoes (cut in half)
Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a large oven proof pan.
2. Add the beef and brown on all sides and set aside.
3. Heat the oil in the same pan.
4. Add the onions and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
5. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
6. Add the red wine and deglaze the pan.
7. Add the beef broth, thyme, tomato paste, dijon mustard, salt and pepper and bring to a boil.
8. Add the roast, cover and cook in a preheated 325F oven until fork tender, about 3-5 hours.
9. Add the carrots and potatoes during the last 20 minutes of cooking.
Makes 8+ servings depending on the size of the roast
