Slow Cooker Pot Roast
I took my daughter out to lunch one weekend at Grand Lux Cafe and we ordered the Pot Roast Cheese Fries. I was thinking that it sounded similar to poutine, something that we quite enjoyed over the summer, and I figured that she would like it. The pot roast on top of the fries was a bit oversalted to me but it made me think that I hadn't made pot roast in a really long time. I decided to browse online and found a Food Network recipe that became the starting point for our dinner last night.
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| The Pot Roast Cheese Fries from Grand Lux Cafe |
I bought some beef chuck roast at the supermarket, opting for one of the smaller family packs that didn't have too much fat (but I also didn't want anything incredibly lean). I wanted each roast to be in the three-pound region and I ended up with two that were just slightly less. Buying something huge will take forever on my slow cooker and I don't really like eating the same dish for days in a row so they were perfect.
After unpacking the meat, I put salt and pepper on it and covered it with flour. I seared the meat on all sides, about 4 minutes each for the top and the bottom and a minute or two only on the sides. Then it went straight into the slow cooker, set to cook on low. Then I worked on the gravy.
For the gravy, I added a little more oil to the pot and then the tomato paste. After a minute, I added the flour and started whisking while adding the wine and then the broth. I was pleased to find some leftover wine in the fridge and I knew it was decent wine so it was perfect. Remember, if you won't drink it, don't put it in the food! At some point, I tossed in some bay leaves, thyme, 1/2t salt and some fresh ground black pepper. I just whisked it until it reached the consistency I wanted and I got all of the little bits at the bottom. I made sure most of the lumps were gone although it didn't fuss me too much that they were there. The original recipe said it would take about 4 minutes and that was a reasonable estimate. Then I poured it all into the slow cooker.
At this point, I started prepping the vegetables. Chop some garlic, cut up the onions and celery, wash some baby carrots... and everything went into the slow cooker. I know the idea is to have the flavor of the vegetables meld with the gravy and the meat but as I didn't prepare anything in advance and I wanted to get the meat to start cooking, I just kind of did it in this order. If you prepare everything else in advance, then everything can go into the slow cooker at the same time. I don't think the order matters too much. And the way the onions are sliced, I don't think it's a big deal if you do wedges (which is what the original recipe said to do), slices or if you dice the onion. Next time I'm going to dice it.
My husband was asking if we were going to eat it like poutine but I didn't want to deal with making the french fries so I decided to separately boil some potatoes in the same pot that I had made the gravy. The potatoes were pretty small so I just sliced most of them in half and even left a couple of them whole. When they were done, I set them aside. I would later mix them with the gravy. What I'd do differently next time though, is I would cook the carrots separately too, since I did that with the potatoes anyway, that way the color stays nice and bright. As it was, everything that was in the gravy was tinged with brown.
Because I had a pretty small piece of meat, my dish was done in 6 hours. I was able to extract the beef with a set of tongs and place it on a plate. I made sure the internal temperature was good and after letting the meat sit for a minute of two, I did a couple of slices down the center to check for doneness. My husband wanted it tender but still firm enough to slice, as opposed to just falling apart so I decided to stop the cooking process right there.
Looking into what was left in the slow cooker, I proceeded to remove the carrots (which I put with the potatoes) some of the large chunks of onion and all of the celery (tossed them both), since I really don't like eating celery and they were this ugly, brown color. I thought to strain the entire thing but I wanted to preserve the little bits of meat and garlic that was in the gravy, along with some of the onion. I'm still trying to figure out the best way to get those flavors in there without having to eat them later. Ultimately, it seemed easier to just remove large pieces of celery. At the end of it all, I could live with everything being in the gravy except the celery. Maybe I'll bag 'em next time or try to cook without.
To serve, I arranged a few slices of beef on a plate, added some potatoes and carrots and spooned some gravy on top. If I had fresh parsley, I would mix it with the gravy and add a sprig on top but all I had were dried parsley flakes so that would have to do. I just sprinkled it all over. Alternatively, this can be served on a bed of mashed potatoes or white rice. Obviously, we are not averse to carbs here. Other vegetables can be served with it, but not necessarily cooked in it. I had some buttered green beans leftover from a previous dinner which my husband just put on top and he took it to work for lunch the next day. I'm thinking about one of those microwaveable mini-cabbages from the supermarket right now. So going to eat this pot roast with that later on.
Slow Cooker Pot Roast
Ingredients:
- 1 3lb. beef chuck roast
- salt and pepper
- 1/3 cup flour (plus more to coat beef)
- 3T olive oil
- 1 1/2 cup baby carrots
- 1/2 cup celery, cut into 2-3 inch pieces (about 3 stalks)
- 1 onion
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 3T tomato paste
- 1 cup red wine
- 3 cups low-sodium beef broth
- dried bay leaves (I used 5 small ones, you can use less if big)
- 1t dried thyme
- 1-2T chopped parsley (less if using dried parsley flakes)
Instructions:
1. Season beef all over with salt and pepper. Coat with flour on all sides.
2. Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium to high heat. Brown the meat, about 4 minutes on each side.
3. Spray slow cooker interior with cooking spray and transfer browned meat. Set to low.
4. Add celery, onions and garlic to slow cooker. Carrots and potatoes can be added now too or cooked separately to maintain color.
5. Prepare gravy. Add 1T olive oil to pan and tomato paste. Mix together for about a minute.
6. Add flour and red wine. Whisk. Add beef broth, bay leaves, thyme and salt and pepper to taste. Continue to whisk until smooth and slightly thick. Pour into slow cooker.
7. For up to 3 lbs. of beef, cook for approximately 6 hours on low.
8. When done, remove the roast from the slow cooker and let rest for a few minutes. Discard any items you don't want in the gravy. You can strain it if you want a fine gravy. Slice the meat.
9. Mix the vegetables and parsley with some of the gravy OR serve the beef with the vegetables on the side and pour some gravy all over. The rest of the gravy can be served on the side.
2. Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium to high heat. Brown the meat, about 4 minutes on each side.
3. Spray slow cooker interior with cooking spray and transfer browned meat. Set to low.
4. Add celery, onions and garlic to slow cooker. Carrots and potatoes can be added now too or cooked separately to maintain color.
5. Prepare gravy. Add 1T olive oil to pan and tomato paste. Mix together for about a minute.
6. Add flour and red wine. Whisk. Add beef broth, bay leaves, thyme and salt and pepper to taste. Continue to whisk until smooth and slightly thick. Pour into slow cooker.
7. For up to 3 lbs. of beef, cook for approximately 6 hours on low.
8. When done, remove the roast from the slow cooker and let rest for a few minutes. Discard any items you don't want in the gravy. You can strain it if you want a fine gravy. Slice the meat.
9. Mix the vegetables and parsley with some of the gravy OR serve the beef with the vegetables on the side and pour some gravy all over. The rest of the gravy can be served on the side.
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