Old Fashioned Pot Roast

This is a great way to wind down on a Saturday. Braising the meat in the oven on a low temp, helps to maintain the moisture and will tenderize the meat. The dish will take about 20 minutes to assemble. Once you throw it in the oven you can forget about it for the next 3 hours. If you want that slow cooked comfort on a weeknight, brown the meat, saute the veggies and then assemble the entire roast in a slow cooker when you leave in the morning.

Serves 4

1 3 pound chuck roast
1 large onion, diced
4 large carrots, peeled and diced
1 cup diced celery
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 6 oz can of tomato paste
1 cup of dry white wine
3 cloves of garlic, smashed
4 cups of beef stock
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil

Preheat oven to 325. In a 5 quart dutch oven pour in enough olive oil to coat the bottom. Heat on stove on medium/high. Season both sides of the roast well with salt and pepper. Add the meat to the pot and brown on both sides. Meanwhile prep the veggies. When the roast has browned, remove from the pot and set aside. Pour off the oil from the pot and add fresh olive oil. Return the pot to the heat. Add the carrots, onion, celery, garlic, bay leaves, thyme and salt and pepper to taste. Cook over medium/high heat for 7 minutes until the veggies have softened. Add the wine, vinegar and tomato paste. Stir to combine. Return the meat to the pot and pour enough stock over all to cover the meat. Bring to a boil and adjust the salt and pepper if needed. Put the lid on the pot and transfer to the oven. Leave in the oven for 3 hours. Remove the meat from the pot and skim off any fat. Strain out the veggies, bay leaves and garlic, discard. Return the liquid to a clean pot. Bring to a boil and thicken with 3 tablespoons softened butter mixed with 3 tablespoons flour or add 3 tablespoons corn starch to 1/2 cup of cold water and add to boiling liquid. As you add either, whisk the boiling liquid well until either thickener is well combined and no lumps are present. Serve the roast and gravy with mashed potatoes.