As fall starts to settle in and the leaves start to burst into brilliant colors, I start to long for slow-ccoked pots of stew and roasts of any kind, being baked for hours in the oven, filling the house with mouth-watering scents of childhood!  

Baked hams, roast chicken, leg of lamb and tender rounds of beef fit and tied for a Sunday dinner that seemed to last all day! I miss those days of being at my Grandparent’s house, filled to the brim with cousins, Aunts and Uncles! Joyous laughter and 20 different conversations could be heard going on in every room of the house! It was noisy, but such a wonderful “noise”! 😀 It wasn’t just us kids running around and playing, the adults seemed to all be feeling like a kid again themselves, and everyone was at play on those days! 🙂

 

 

It was very chilly when I woke up in the morning with no warm temperatures in the forecast, so I decided to visit my childhood again with a nice Sunday-style pot roast, slow-roasted in the oven and smothered with comforting veggies and ladles of steaming gravy!  

I dug out a warm pair of socks like an old friend to keep my feet warm on the cold kitchen floor, and lugged out another best friend, my big old antique pot!  

It was definitely time to make our favorite comfort meal that just seems to greet the season with a big ol’ hug! 😀

 

 

 There are two secrets to a good pot roast. One, is to get a nice sear on both sides first. This just seems to add so much flavor the whole time that it’s roasting. Well-season it first, and get the oil nice and hot! No need to trim any of the fat. The little bit of fat on chuck roasts will melt away slowly while cooking and that’s what also helps to make them so tender and juicy. So leave it on. 😉 

 

 

The second secret, to mine anyways, is to use horseradish and spicy brown mustard! Not kidding!  And I already know what you’re thinking. “I don’t like horseradish, or mustard, either, and this can’t possibly be good.” But you’d be very wrong if that’s what you’re thinking. 😉 The end result tastes nothing like either of them actually. It just tastes exactly like what you hope a great pot roast should taste like! Beefy, moist and oh so tender!! 😀

 

 

After both sides are seared, just leave it in the frying pan and smear the top with half of the horseradish. 

 

 

 

 Then, you do the same with half of the spicy brown mustard making sure you get the sides with both as well.

 

 

Just place it coated side-down into a pot or roaster filled with the beef broth, red wine and garlic, and coat the second top with the rest of the horseradish and mustard. Top with onions to cover, toss the rest  into the broth around it, and dot with chunks of butter. 

 

 

Pop into the oven and bake! You’ll turn this three times, replacing the onions on top to keep it extra moist, then add the veggies and finish baking!

 

 

Remove everything from the pot with a slotted spoon to a large platter leaving a few pieces of celery, baby carrots and some onion behind to help the gravy. 😉  

With a hand-held emulsifier, give it all a good whirl until the veggies are pureed completely into the broth. 

 

 

Then simply bring it to a boil over medium heat and slowly whisk in cornstarch slurry. Keep whisking for a minute or two to cook and thicken and ta-da! You’re done! 😀 Just taste and season up with more salt and pepper if it needs it for you, and serve! 

 

 

Just the two of us don’t get fancy around here, meals like this are usually enjoyed in jammy pants and tees on the coffee table in the living room in front of the TV watching our favorite teams play football! 😉 And that is exactly how we prefer to enjoy our autumn and winter Sundays. 😀

But this is pretty enough to grace any fresh-starched Sunday tablecloth with family gathered around the big old oval table with extra leaves, and mismatched chairs pulled up to make sure everyone has a seat! 😉 So no matter where you are or how you like to enjoy it, fix this for your family, and reminisce old memories or create new ones! This is the perfect “meat and potatoes” meal to get the fall season started! Take care all, and I’ll see you tomorrow! 😀 ~Kelly

 

 *This recipe makes a nice amount of gravy. Enough to serve the platter with some ladled over the top of the roast and vegetables, plus enough extra to put into a gravy boat to serve on the side.

 

Yield: 6 servings

Best Country Pot Roast with Vegetables & Gravy

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Ingredients

• 1 (3 1/2 - 4 lb.) chuck roast
• 2-3 Tbl. vegetable oil
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 tsp. coarse ground black pepper
• 3 Tbl. jarred horseradish
• 3 Tbl. spicy brown mustard
• 1 (32 oz.) box beef broth, (4 cups)
• 1/4 cup red wine
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 large or 2 small onions, cut into wedges
• 4 Tbl. butter, cut up
• 3 ribs celery, thickly sliced, (at an angle if desired)
• 6 red potatoes, unpeeled and cut into large chunks, or as many as desired
• 1 (16 oz.) bag sweet baby carrots
• 2-3 Tbl. cornstarch
• 2-3 Tbl. COLD water
• 1/4 cup heavy cream, optional
• more salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Season chuck roast with salt and pepper, (both sides.)

In large frying pan, heat oil over medium-high heat until very hot. Place roast into pan of hot oil and turn down heat a little. Sear until nicely browned, turn and sear other side. (About 4 minutes per side depending on how hot you have your pan.) Turn off heat leaving roast in frying pan.

While roast is searing, pour beef broth into large roaster. Stir in red wine and garlic.

Spread top and sides of roast with half of horseradish and half of spicy brown mustard, place coated side-down into roaster. Spread top with the rest of horseradish and mustard.

Top with onions and dot with butter.

Cover with tight-fitting lid, and pop into preheated 325 degree oven. Roast for 2 1/2 hours, turning once after the first hour, and then two more times during the remainder of time replacing the onions on top each time to keep it extra moist.

Add celery, potatoes and carrots submerging into broth around roast, recover, and continue roasting until veggies are tender, about 1 more hour. (If veggies aren't covered in the broth, just baste well several times during roasting.)

Remove roast to a platter. With a slotted spoon, remove veggies and place around roast. *Leave a few onions, a couple of celery pieces and 2-3 carrots in roaster. Cover roast and veggies to keep warm.

With a hand emulsifier, blend veggies into broth. (*This makes for a richer gravy and takes any tartness out of the gravy as well.)

Heat the broth/stock on the stovetop over medium heat until just boiling. Stir cornstarch and cold water together and slowly whisk in. Lower heat, stir in heavy cream if desired, simmer and whisk for 2-3 minutes until thickened and cooked down just a bit. Add more salt and pepper to taste.

Ladle a little gravy over roast and veggies and place the rest of gravy into a gravy boat to serve alongside.

Serve this with bread and butter for mopping! 😉

Notes

*If I have heavy cream on hand I add it for extra richness and creaminess, but I also make it without. Either way is very good.