Pot Roast Recipe

The roasts in this month’s CSA are perfect for a classic pot roast. Here is a tried and true Sunday dinner classic. Don’t be afraid to substitute halved or quartered potatoes for baby potatoes or move the whole operation to your instant pot or crock pot.

Adapted from Spend with Pennies

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 to 4 pounds chuck roast or rump roast
1 large onion chopped, or two small onions
4 carrots cut into 2-inch pieces
2 ribs celery cut into 1 ½-inch pieces
1 pound baby potatoes or chopped red potatoes

For the Gravy
flour or cornstarch, see notes
butter optional

2 cups beef broth or as needed
1 cup red wine *see note
4 cloves garlic coarsely chopped
½ teaspoon dried rosemary
½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 bay leaf

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 300°F.
  2. Season roast with salt and pepper.
  3. In a large dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Sear the roast on each side until browned, about 4 minutes per side adding more oil if needed.
  4. Arrange onions around the roast. Combine broth, wine, garlic, rosemary, and thyme. Pour over the roast. Add bay leaf.
  5. Bring just to a simmer on the stovetop over medium-high heat. Once the broth is simmering, cover and place in the oven and cook 2 hours.
  6. Add potatoes, carrots, and celery, and cook an additional 2 hours (for a 4 lb. roast) or until the roast and potatoes are fork-tender.
  7. Discard bay leaf. Gently pull beef into large pieces with a fork or slice into thick pieces. Serve with juices or make gravy (below) if desired.
  8. To Make Gravy: Combine 2 tablespoons cornstarch or flour with 2 tablespoons cold water until smooth. Remove beef and vegetables from the pot.  Use a gravy separator or a spoon to separate the fat from the drippings. Bring the remaining broth/drippings to a boil and whisk in the slurry mixture a little bit at a time until thickened. Add extra broth if needed. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
  9. To make gravy with a roux: add 4 tablespoons flour and 4 tablespoons butter to a saucepan and cook for 2 minutes. Gradually add 3 to 4 cups of the skimmed drippings, whisking after each addition until smooth. Let boil 1 minute and season with additional salt and pepper.