Last Sunday we visited the new Euro Marsh grocery store at 146th and S.R. 37 in Noblesville. It's a real departure from their usual merchandising, utilizing a stores-within-a-store concept. In the meat department, we found something we had not seen before, a USDA Prime chuck roast in the custom case usually reserved for steaks and chops. Returning home with our pricey 3 pound roast we went to the Grapevine Cottage Web site and discovered that while we have three Sunday pot roast recipes posted, not one of them is really what I consider a "traditional" recipe (meaning what MY Mom used to make). So, Linda and I did our best to remember how our Moms used to make them and here it is. More Sunday evening comfort food!
Sunday Pot Roast
Serves 4
This recipe is easily expandable. Got more people? Use more stuff.
Ingredients:
1 2 1/2 to 3 lb. chuck roast
1 28-oz. can diced tomatoes
8 oz. white mushrooms, cut in half
(OK, so the mushrooms are our idea — I'd be pretty sure that neither of our Moms ever used a fresh mushroom)
4 medium potatoes in large chunks
1 large yellow onion in large chunks
2 Tbs. olive oil
6 to 8 medium whole carrots, scrubbed (we like to use the kind with the tops left on, and then w/ the tops trimmed down to about an inch long)
1/2 cup red wine
1 14-oz. can beef broth
4 stalks of celery cut in 1" pieces
salt and pepper
a little flour
Preparation:
Sprinkle flour on a plate and dredge the roast on all sides for a light coating. Heat 1 Tbs. of olive oil in a large Dutch oven on the cook top and brown the roast on all sides using medium-high heat. Remove the roast from the pan, add the rest of the oil and sauté the onions and celery until the onions soften slightly. Put the roast back in the pan and surround it with the potatoes, mushrooms and carrots. Pour the tomatoes, beef broth and wine over the meat, season to taste with salt and lots of fresh ground pepper, cover and place in a 325°F oven for 3 to 3 1/2 hours. Check after about 1 1/2 hours to be sure that there is still plenty of liquid.
Before serving, strain some of the juices and thicken with a little cornstarch (blended in cold water) for gravy. We served this with some crunchy French bread and a bottle of the Jamieson Canyon Cabernet that had been decanted during the three hours cooking time.
March 3, 2004
And, a bonus recipe... what to do with your leftovers! Linda's Mom always used her leftover pot roast to make a beef hash the next night. Linda tried this out on me Monday and it's a nice variation on a theme. Just make sure that you make enough gravy the first night to have with the hash on the second.
Erma's Hash
Serves 4
Ingredients:
Leftover pot roast
2 Tbs. olive oil
Preparation:
Dice the meat, potatoes and mushrooms into bite size pieces. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium to medium high heat and fry the hash until it browns up nicely, being careful not to burn it. We served this with chilled apple sauce on the side and Linda said it made her feel like she was 10 years old again. It made a very tasty Monday night dinner along with a nice bottle of Louis Bernard Côtes du Rhône.
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