When it comes to a stick-to-your-ribs, meat-and-potatoes kind of meal, it’s hard to beat the humble pot roast. Juicy, tender beef, flavorful gravy, fall-apart veggies … nope, it never gets old. Some people feel obliged to sear their roast before popping it into the slow cooker, and while you can certainly do that with this recipe should you so desire, I honestly don’t think it’s necessary. There are plenty of herbs, spices and natural flavorings here to give your pot roast amazing flavor without the extra step, time and dirty pot of searing. As for the gravy? It’s so good, I made sure there’s plenty, which comes in handy for reheating any leftovers. Or drowning the potatoes on your plate. Or slurping it up with a spoon.
YIELD: 6 SERVINGS
1 ½ tbsp (18 g) House Seasoning
2 tsp (2 g) dried parsley
½ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp dried thyme
¼ tsp dried basil
¼ tsp dried rosemary
¼ tsp dried sage
3 ½ to 4 lb (1.6 to 1.8 kg) boneless beef chuck roast, trimmed
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 lb (910 kg) small red potatoes, unpeeled and left whole (or cut into chunks if using larger potatoes)
1 lb (455 g) baby carrots
2 cups (480 ml) low-sodium beef broth
2 tbsp (30 ml) balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp (30 ml) Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp (17 g) tomato paste
2 tbsp (16 g) cornstarch plus 2 tbsp (30 ml) water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
In a small bowl, combine the House Seasoning, parsley, oregano, thyme, basil, rosemary and sage. Season the roast by evenly sprinkling both sides with the herb mixture and rubbing it into the meat. Place the seasoned roast in a large slow cooker and arrange the garlic, potatoes and carrots around it and on top.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the beef broth, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and tomato paste and pour over the contents of the slow cooker. Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, or on high for 5 to 6 hours, until the roast and vegetables are tender.
Transfer the roast and the vegetables to a serving platter; cover them with foil to keep them warm. Use a large spoon to skim excess fat from the surface of the pan juices in the slow cooker, then strain the pan juices through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring the pan juices to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch and the water until smooth. Continuously whisk the pan juices in the saucepan while slowly pouring in the cornstarch slurry. Allow the mixture to simmer, stirring occasionally, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until the gravy is thickened. Season the gravy with salt and pepper to taste, and serve it over the roast and vegetables.