Italian Pot Roast
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS The bolder cousin of American-style pot roast, Italian Pot Roast trades the potatoes,
carrots, and gravy for mushrooms, onion, and a thick sauce based on tomatoes, red
wine, garlic, and herbs. For our version, we started with a chuck-eye roast for its
beefy flavor and ample fat. Canned diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste
gave us a thick, rich sauce; a double dose of red wine added depth and brightness.
Simmering a whole head of garlic with our roast ensured the meat and sauce were infused
with mellow garlic flavor. See the sidebars that follow the recipe.
SERVES 4 TO 6
Start checking the roast for doneness after two hours; if there is a little resistance when prodded with a fork, it’s done. Light, sweeter red wines, such as a Merlot or Beaujolais, work especially well with this recipe.
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1 |
(3½- to 4-pound) boneless beef chuck-eye roast, trimmed, tied at 1-inch intervals |
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Salt and pepper |
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2 |
tablespoons vegetable oil |
|
1 |
onion, chopped |
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1 |
celery rib, minced |
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1 |
pound cremini or white mushrooms, trimmed and quartered |
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2 |
tablespoons tomato paste |
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1 |
(14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes |
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½ |
cup canned tomato sauce |
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½ |
cup water |
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1 |
cup red wine |
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2 |
teaspoons sugar |
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1 |
large garlic head, outer papery skins removed, halved |
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1 |
sprig fresh thyme |
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1 |
sprig fresh rosemary |
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Pat roast dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
2. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown roast on all sides, 8 to 12 minutes. Transfer roast to large plate. Reduce heat to medium, add onion, celery, mushrooms, and tomato paste and cook until vegetables begin to soften, about 8 minutes. Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, ½ cup wine, sugar, garlic, and thyme. Add roast, with accumulated juices, to pot and bring to simmer over medium-high heat. Place piece of aluminum foil over pot, cover with lid, and transfer pot to oven.
3. Cook until roast is just fork-tender, 2½ to 3½ hours, turning roast after 1 hour. Remove lid and foil and let roast rest for 30 minutes, skimming fat from surface of liquid after 20 minutes. Transfer roast to carving board and tent with foil.
4. Remove and reserve garlic head and skim remaining fat. Add remaining ½ cup wine to pot, bring to boil over medium-high heat, and cook until sauce begins to thicken, about 12 minutes. Meanwhile, carefully squeeze garlic cloves from their skins and mash into paste. Add rosemary to pot and simmer until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Remove rosemary and thyme sprigs, stir in mashed garlic, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Remove twine from roast and slice meat against grain into ½-inch-thick slices or pull apart into large pieces. Transfer meat to serving platter and pour ¾ cup sauce over meat. Serve, passing remaining sauce separately.