When I was in college and my mother started law school, my father took over the cooking–no small task in a family where eight of the 11 children still lived at home. One of his Sunday standbys was pot roast, and he would set a black cast-iron pot in the oven before going off to sing in the church choir. He’d return to make gravy and fruit salad, and dinner would be on the table by the time my mother was ready for a study break.
My dad, widowed last year and on his own, still makes pot roast. And he still cooks in enormous quantities, as though all of us were living at home, so there are plenty of delicious leftovers for the week to come.
Leftovers are only one of pot roast’s cook-friendly features. Besides getting extra mileage out of a dish that initially takes very little effort to prepare, cooks can transform humble cuts of beef and inexpensive root vegetables into a simple but very satisfying meal. The ultimate one-dish dinner, pot roast consists of tender, flavorful slices of beef surrounded by oven-browned potatoes and sweet carrot chunks, all bound by a rich, oniony brown gravy.
“Pot roast is a return to grandmotherly cooking,” says chef John Peelen, who teaches at Peter Kump’s School of Culinary Arts and specializes in homestyle cooking. “It’s an old-fashioned method of cooking that can give the house a wonderful smell.”
But pot roast is not without its pitfalls. The beef must be barely simmered, never boiled, or tough meat will result. And because the cuts of meat usually used for pot roast are less tender ones, which take kindly to moist heat rather than dry, they need to be partly submerged in liquid during the cooking.
The best cuts for pot roast come from the chuck: boneless beef chuck top blade roast (also called the top chuck roast), or the boneless chuck shoulder pot roast (also known as boneless chuck roast or chuck shoulder roast). Either is very forgiving if overcooked. Another good choice, particularly for a large family, is the beef bottom round rump roast, weighing in at 5 or 6 pounds. If you’re not sure what to buy, look for the “chuck pot roast” that is sold in many markets these days.
The liquid for pot roast can be water, stock, wine or beer, or a combination of a couple of these. Stock gives you the richest tasting gravy, Peelen says. Wine will impart a more intense, rounded flavor and beer a brighter, more acidic taste. Discover your favorite by experimenting with different proportions of two liquids, say, half stock and half water. Low-sodium stock is better.
“It’s a simple meal that isn’t hard to prepare,” Peelen says, “but it does need that most precious of commodities: time. Braised meat cannot be rushed; it will take two hours or more to make, but it doesn’t take much tending while it is in the oven.”
My father never tended his pot roast once it was in the oven, and he never followed a recipe either. Peelen’s recipe, included here, is reminiscent of the pot roast we used to eat as children. My mom would have approved.
POT ROAST
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours
Yield: 6 servings
1 beef pot roast, 3 to 4 pounds, tied or untied
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
3 to 4 tablespoons oil
1 each, peeled, sliced: onion, carrot
1 celery rib, sliced
2 to 3 cloves garlic, peeled, sliced
2 cups liquid (water, stock or wine), about
1 tablespoon thyme
2 bay leaves
3 tablespoons each: butter, flour
1. Heat oven to 300 degrees. Rub roast with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a heavy pot large enough to just hold meat. Brown meat well on all sides over medium high heat for about 12 to 15 minutes. Remove meat from pan.
2. Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Cook over medium heat until browned, soft and fragrant. Add 1/2 cup liquid to pot and scrape bottom well to loosen any browned bits. Reduce heat to low. Add thyme and bay leaves. Do not let simmer or bubble. The more gently the meat cooks, the more moist it will be.
3. Add meat and remaining liquid to pot. The liquid should come about a third to halfway up meat. Cover pot and place in oven. Bake 2 to 3 hours, turning meat about every 45 minutes. Meat is done when it is tender enough to be pierced easily with a fork and juices run clear.
4. Mash butter and flour together until a smooth paste forms. Set aside.
5. Remove meat from pan and whisk in flour and butter paste. Cook 2 to 3 minutes. Slice meat, place it on a platter and strain gravy over meat.
Variations:
Pot roast chili: Omit carrots and celery. Substitute 3 cups diced red and green peppers. Add 2 tablespoons chili powder to browned vegetables. Season with red pepper sauce and do not strain gravy. Serve with red beans and white rice.
French pot roast: Omit carrot and celery, triple amount of onion and double amount of thyme. Do not strain gravy. Serve with egg noodles and green beans.
Chinese pot roast: Omit salt. Add 3 tablespoons minced ginger to vegetables and 1/4 cup soy sauce to liquid. Serve with rice and steamed broccoli.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ……… 475 Fat ……….. 26 g Cholesterol .. 170 mg
Sodium …… 1,335 mg Carbohydrates .. 7 g Protein …….. 52 g
BOILED NEW POTATOES
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
8 to 12 Red Bliss potatoes
4 teaspoons salt
Butter, additional salt, optional
Place potatoes and salt in pot of cold water. Heat to boil over high heat and cook until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and serve with butter and salt.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ……. 145 Fat …………. 0 g Cholesterol .. 0 mg
Sodium …… 150 mg Carbohydrates .. 29 g Protein ……. 6 g
GLAZED CARROTS
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
4 to 8 carrots, peeled, sliced
4 tablespoons each: butter, sugar
Pinch salt
1. Place carrots in a pan large enough to fit them in 1 layer. Add enough water to barely cover. Add butter, sugar and salt.
2. Cook, shaking the pan occasionally, over high heat until water evaporates and carrots are tender, about 5 minutes.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories …… 200 Fat ………… 14 g Cholesterol .. 0 mg
Sodium …… 60 mg Carbohydrates .. 20 g Protein ……. 1 g
