Pot Roast

We had pot roast for dinner last night. This is what I would call either comfort or diner food. Served with mashed potatoes, simmered green beans and canned corn. Moe always feels like he is getting a treat when he gets canned corn. It doesn't happen often.

Pot Roast is another one of those dishes that you don't really need a recipe for. A basic outline will do.

I used a rump roast last night but I also like to use a round for pot roast. Brown the meat well on all sides. Remove from the pan and add whatever vegetables you are using. I used one carrot (I don't like carrots and I find that more than one sweetens the gravy too much. I also added chopped celery, onion, about 8 cloves of garlic (just smashed, not chopped) salt, pepper, a sprig of rosemary, about a cup of red wine (I never measure) beef broth and a squirt of tomato paste. TIP: Tomato paste isn't something I use often so I buy it in a tube rather than a can. It keeps in the fridge and is perfect for when I need just a "squirt" or a tablespoon or two. Put the lid on and into a 325°F oven for about 3 hours. It was a small roast. So a larger one would take longer.

When the roast was melt-in-the-mouth-tender I removed it from the pot and spooned off the fat and I used the stick blender to puree the vegetables. That was all that was needed to thicken the gravy.



A cast iron pot with a lid is perfect for cooking a pot roast. My favourite is a vintage dutch oven, part of a three piece set of Griswold Cast Iron. But any heavy oven safe pot with a lid will do.