My pot roast has been refined over the years and now includes a pretty easily gathered group of ingredients: beef, mushrooms, Yukon gold potatoes, beer/wine, beef base, garlic, leeks, rosemary, salt and pepper. Depending on the mood, the pot roast may also include parsnips and/or turnips.
The first part of making my pot roast is seasoning the meat and making the liqour. While the frying pan is heating up, chop the leek, tie up the bouquet garni and peel the cloves of garlic. Place these in the bottom of the crock pot. The seasoning is all up to you as long as it includes some salt and pepper. For this dish I used kosher salt, black pepper, dried thyme and a spice mix called 'Jakarta' from myspicesage.com. Once the meat has been seared on all sides, place it in the crock pot. At this point you want to take whatever alcohol you plan to put in the braising liqour and deglaze the pan, making sure to scrape off any of the bits that are stuck to the pan. To deglaze simply pour the alcohol in the hot pan and stir around.
Pot Liqour: Highlands Brewery Oatmeal Porter, Knorr beef stock,
rosemary and lemon thyme boquet garni.
One beer for the pot and one beer for me. Being a true Scottsman (or woman) I truly love a good ale.
Pour the liquid from the deglazed pan over the beef in the crock pot. Layer the mushrooms, potatoes and whatever other vegetables you might be using on top of the meat. Cover with water, which will mix with the pan juice to create a wonderful braising liqour.
Meat and mushrooms...yummmm.
I checked the pot at around 8 hours to make sure it was not overcooking or turning the vegetables to mush and then went on about my business. I have learned over the years to use larger cuts of vegetables when braising for long periods of time, or to add them towards the end.
Once the meat was cooked and falling apart, I drained off the braising liqour, adjusted the seasonings and thickened it with a little cornstarch slurry-- I was way to hungry to wait until it thickened naturally.
The finished product. Delicious.
My plate...even more delicious.
Carolyn's Fall Pot Roast
1 5-7lb top or bottom round
1 each leek, chopped, just the white part
1 pack white mushrooms, rinsed free of dirt and left whole
5 each Yukon gold potatoes, cut in 1/2 lengthwise
1 bottle Dark beer or 2 cups red wine
beef stock to fill pot
salt and pepper to taste as well as any other seasoning you might want to use
bouquet garni ( in this case rosemary and thyme tied in a bundle for easy removal)
1. Season meat with salt, pepper, thyme and whatever other seasonings you might want to use. Sear on all sides in a large frying pan coated with a little bit of olive oil. Once meat is seared remove from pan and place in crock pot on top of chopped leek, bouquet garni and garlic cloves.
2. Deglaze pan with alcohol...do this by pouring the alcohol into the pan and stirring it around to remove the stuck on bits. If using a base and not a liquid stock, add the base to the pan and melt into alcohol. Pour the liquid over the meat in the crock pot.
3. Put vegetables on top of the meat and cover with water. Put lid on the crock pot and turn it on to low. Cook for 7-10 hours. If using turnips or parsnips, add those when you have about 2 hours left in the process.
4. When cooked, remove beef and vegetables and set aside. Pour out braising liqour into a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Thicken with a cornstartch slurry (cornstartch and water) and adjust seasoning.
Dig in!
I hope you enjoy this recipe and that it becomes one of your fall favorites as well.
Im vegan this week, but its only until I stumble on a gourmet sausage - or a braised slab of meat! delicious!
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