Pot Roast Loveliness

This is my roast after browning and right before it headed into the oven.

There is a main topic of conversation that has a tendency to pop up during 5 am running sessions.  We seem to like to talk about what we eat.  A lot!  Especially on Monday mornings.  We've all had a lovely weekend and I usually ask what everyone had for Sunday dinner.  Is this strange?  I always ask what people eat.  My dad calls and I ask what he had for lunch.  My grandma calls and I ask what she fixed for her last get together.  My mom calls and I ask what they had at Empty Nesters.  Hollie calls and I ask if she's got anything new.  I just want to know.  It stirs my imagination.  It's my one creative outlet.  Last week I was running with my little friend Jill and she told me about the best roast she'd ever had.  It came from the Pioneer Woman and couldn't be any simpler.  I listened and thought, "mmmm...maybe I'll make that one of these days."  But then not 2 days later another friend mentioned the same roast.  She'd heard from Jill and went right out and fixed it.  Her family loved it too.   Two recommendations in as many days...I had to make this roast.

Great recipe and easy too.  If you're lucky enough to have half a cow in your freezer, just use what you've got.  If not a cheap chuck roast works well.  My family loved the dinner, and I loved that it actually made two nights worth of dinners.   I used a good 4-5 pound roast.  I saved all the juice from the roast the first night, and reheated the leftover roast in the juice the next night.  It shredded up just nicely and we topped some warm Ciabatta Rolls with the shredded beef and then dipped them in the juice.  French Dip style.  Throw in a cantaloupe or apple, and a veggie of choice and both nights became home runs!   I'd definitely make this again.  You can't beat a two for one

Pioneer Woman's Pot Roast

1 whole (4 To 5 Pounds) Chuck Roast

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

2 whole Onions

6 whole Carrots (Up To 8 Carrots)

Salt To Taste

Pepper To Taste

1 cup Red Wine (optional, You Can Use Beef Broth Instead)

2 cups To 3 Cups Beef Stock

3 sprigs Fresh Thyme, or more to taste

3 sprigs Fresh Rosemary, or more to taste

Preparation Instructions

First and foremost, choose a nicely marbled piece of meat. This will enhance the flavor of your pot roast like nothing else. Generously salt and pepper your chuck roast.

Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Then add 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil (or you can do a butter/olive oil split).

Cut two onions in half and cut 6 to 8 carrots into 2-inch slices (you can peel them, but you don’t have to). When the oil in the pot is very hot (but not smoking), add in the halved onions, browning them on one side and then the other. Remove the onions to a plate.

Throw the carrots into the same very hot pan and toss them around a bit until slightly browned, about a minute or so.

If needed, add a bit more olive oil to the very hot pan. Place the meat in the pan and sear it for about a minute on all sides until it is nice and brown all over. Remove the roast to a plate.

With the burner still on high, use either red wine or beef broth (about 1 cup) to deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom with a whisk to get all of that wonderful flavor up.

When the bottom of the pan is sufficiently deglazed, place the roast back into the pan and add enough beef stock to cover the meat halfway (about 2 to 3 cups). Add in the onion and the carrots, as well as 3 or 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary and about 3 sprigs of fresh thyme.

Put the lid on, then roast in a 275F oven for 3 hours (for a 3-pound roast). For a 4 to 5-pound roast, plan on 4 hours.