Sunday Pot Roast - My Favorite Comfort Food!

Who doesn't love comfort food? The aromas, the flavors, the textures that remind you of those times when your mom would make your favorite meal for your special day or to cheer you up on a bad day. Well, my folks came down to visit me this weekend and I wanted to make my version of my all-time favorite meal: Sunday Pot Roast.

My mom always makes hers in a pressure cooker, which takes less time but makes the meat oh-so-fall-apart-tender. I don't have a pressure cooker, so I do mine in a slow cooker. Takes most of the day, but you get the same tender meat and melding of herbs, spices and meat because it does take hours. The upshot of the slow cooker (which is one of my favorite kitchen appliances, by the way) is that you can put your dinner on to cook before you leave for work in the morning. And, by the time you get home at night, you're welcomed home by delicious homemade dinner. Ready to eat! Slow cooking is one of the best methods for singletons, it gives you that "welcome home" fragrance even when Mom is 200 miles away.

Suzie's Sunday Pot Roast
Yields approx. 8 hearty servings

2 1/2 lb. chuck roast or pot roast
1/2 medium red onion, sliced

1 Tblsp minced fresh garlic

2 Tblsp butter

6 medium red potatoes, cut into big bite-sized pieces (about 3/4" square)
2 cups baby carrots
32 oz. prepared beef broth
2 Tblsp parsley flakes
1 Tsp dried thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
1 bay leaf

Rinse meat and pat dry. Set aside. Heat medium skillet or iron frying pan over high heat, add butter and melt. Add onion and cook until almost caramelized, about 7 minutes. Add garlic. Place meat in pan, turn heat down to medium. Brown meat evenly on all sides taking care not to burn the garlic.

While the meat is browning, layer potatoes and carrots in slow cooker. Once meat is browned on all sides, remove the pan from the heat (be careful and use a pot holder!). Add the meat and onions to the slow cooker on top of vegetables, pour butter and garlic evenly over ingredients in the cooker. Sprinkle parsley, thyme and salt and pepper evenly over the top of the mixture. Add beef broth and bay leaf. Put lid on the cooker and turn the cooker on high. Let cook for approx. 6-8 hours or until meat is fall apart tender.

The secret to working with a slow cooker is to NOT remove the lid during the cooking process. I know that it's really hard to resist, but the secret of the slow cooker is the build up of heat inside the pot. I will usually remove the lid once or twice (really quickly!) about 2/3 of the way through the cooking process to check the meat and pull it apart to aid in cooking more quickly. To serve:

Remove bay leaf and discard. Serve in bowls with an even amount of meat and vegetables. Make sure to add the broth to the serving! I like to serve with a large "crostini."

Crostini
Yields 8 servings

4 large slices of sourdough bread cut in half or 8 sandwich size slices
Butter
Parmesan cheese
Seasoned salt

Heat a toaster oven or oven to 450 degrees. Spread slices of bread with butter. Top with grated Parmesan cheese, don't be shy! Sprinkle lightly with seasoned salt. Place in oven and toast/bake until the top is brown and crispy. Serve immediately with Pot Roast.

It's really hard to go wrong with either recipe. It tastes great every time.

Give it a try and let me know how it works out!
Suzie Q