Well last weekend I picked up a 1/4 cow.(long story – thanks Bev:)) This is the first time I have ever done this and let me tell you – that’s a lot of beef!. My freezer is full, no room for anything else at the moment. Which just means more beef for dinner!
How about a pot roast cooked in a dutch oven? Sounds good to me. Normally this would be a Sunday supper but I thought I would make this on a week night. It only takes about 2 hours so no worries about time.
Time to gather up all the ingredients. Nothing goes better with roast then some carrots and potatoes! I like to use little red potatoes as they get tender and tasty. Check out that roast – nothing better than farm fresh beef.
Chop up the veggies in large chunks. You do not want to cut the veggies to small or they will get over done during cooking.
The key to a good roast out of the oven is to sear all sides before roasting. Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in the dutch oven over medium high heat. Brown the roast on all sides, about 3 minutes per side. Remove the roast from the pan and set aside. Now time to deglaze the pan to get all the tasty bits off the bottom. Pour about 1/2 cup of red wine into the pan and cook while scraping the pan. Let the wine reduce by about half. Now add the veggies and cook for about 3 minutes.
Nestle the roast back in the pan, add some fresh herbs. I used a couple springs of thyme and sage. Add enough stock (normally beef stock but I only had chicken stock) to cover the meat about halfway up. Cover and place in a 325 degree oven. Roast for about 1 1/2 hours or until the internal temp of the roast is 145 degrees.
Pull out of the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before removing and slicing. Remove all the veggies and reserve the juice in the pan. Time to make some gravy! Strain the juices and return to the pan. Heat to boiling and add a mixture of corn starch and water to thicken. Remove from heat when thick. Grab a plate and chow down. Cheers!