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We make pot roast much the way Momma does in the donut shop books, using a slow cooker to let the meat and veggies cook long and slow. The smells that waft through the house are absolutely incredible, and I’m always hungry well before the meal is ready! It’s worth the wait, though. If you watch for appropriate meat cuts to go on sale, this is an extremely economical meal, and delicious to boot!
Ingredients
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons all-purpose unbleached flour
1⁄8 teaspoon salt
1⁄8 teaspoon pepper
1 boneless beef chuck roast, 2 to 2 1⁄2 pounds
2 medium russet or red potatoes, peeled and cubed
Carrots, baby or peeled, cut into 1-inch sections, about 1 lb.
Any good onion soup mix packet, about 1 oz.
1 cup tap water
1 tablespoon of either cornstarch, all-purpose flour, or powdered tapioca
1⁄3 cup cold water
Directions
Over medium heat, add the canola oil to a nonstick frying pan and warm until a drop of water sizzles when dropped into it. While you’re waiting, mix the flour, salt, and pepper together, and then coat the roast with the mix. Brown the meat on all sides in the hot pan, and then drain off the fat. In the slow cooker, spray the pot with nonstick vegetable spray (or use a slow-cooker liner, which makes cleanup super easy), and then add the potatoes and carrots to the bottom of the slow cooker. Add the browned roast next, and then sprinkle the soup mix on top. Next, add the water until the veggies are almost covered, but not the roast.
Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for 6 hours, or until the roast falls apart with gentle prodding from a fork. Remove the roast and veggies to a serving plate and cover everything with aluminum foil to keep it all warm, then strain the liquid and pour it into the pan you used to brown the meat originally. In a small bowl, add the thickening agent (cornstarch, all-purpose flour, or powdered tapioca) to the cold water, and then stir it all together in the pan, heating it at a simmer until the gravy is formed. Serve the gravy directly on the roast and carrots and potatoes if you’d like, or serve separately. If you want to skip making the gravy, the meal’s just fine without it! Either way, it should be delicious!
Serves 4 to 6 people, depending on serving size