Mary Ann's Blog
A Pot Roast in Every Pot
March 24, 2022
What is it that draws so many of us to a dinner of pot roast and mashed potatoes? Sure, the flavor is great and the meat so succulent and juicy and falling apart with no struggle but I think it is that making a pot roast is not intimidating like cooking a pricey beef tenderloin when you’ve got to get the temperature just right or the meat will be ruined. Nope! For a pot roast, you can take all the time you need to cook it with no worries that it will be overcooked.
My mom made pot roast on Sundays and the house always smelled divine. She had no recipe, just her experience of cooking. That’s the way it is for me too. I start with a 3 pound well marbled chuck roast.
When I am ready to cook it, I wipe it well with paper towels and season it all over with coarse black pepper and salt. Use your hands and really rub it in. Just sprinkling the seasoning over it, is a weak gesture at best. Get out a stove top to oven pan just large enough to snuggly hold the roast. Heat a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil in the pan over medium heat and slowly brown the roast on all sides. Take time with this because browning the roast well will deepen the flavor.
Transfer the roast to a dish and add 1 medium chopped onion to the drippings in the pan along with 3 garlic cloves, sliced. Cook until the onions wilt and begin to take on some color. Stir in 3 tablespoons of tomato paste and coat the onions and garlic well; cook for 2 to 3 minutes to allow for the onions to darken to a deep red color.Stir in ½ cup red wine and over medium heat, scrape the bottom of the pan to release the onions and garlic; cook until the liquid begins to thicken.
Return the roast to the pan; cover and bake at 325F for 1-1/2 to 2 hours or until the meat is fork tender and nearly falling apart. Transfer the meat to a cutting board and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Slice into pieces and return the meat to the pan; slowly reheat in the juices. Serve with mashed potatoes.
Now you know why you love pot roast.
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