Weeknight Pot Roast and Potatoes

SERVES: 4 TO 6

PRESSURE LEVEL: HIGH

RELEASE: NATURAL

TOTAL TIME: ABOUT 1 HOUR

TIME UNDER PRESSURE: 30 MINUTES

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS After developing a classic pot roast recipe, we wondered if there was a way to speed things up even further to get a pot roast supper on the table in an hour. We started by slicing our chuck-eye roast, a step that we discovered cut the under-pressure cooking time by two-thirds and gave us portioned pieces of meat ready to serve. In lieu of a broth-based braising liquid that required chopping onions and garlic plus a mix of spices or herbs, we turned to condensed French onion soup. This single convenience product, plus dried porcini mushrooms, saved us shopping and prep time and created a beefy braising liquid with built-in aromatics. Plus, its condensed state meant that the sauce wouldn’t get watered down once the meat began to release its juices. The finished jus has great body and complex flavor—you’d never guess it wasn’t made from scratch. Finally, to make a meal, we arranged potatoes on top of the meat before cooking it. We prefer to use Yukon Gold potatoes measuring 1 to 3 inches in diameter in this recipe; do not substitute larger potatoes, or they will bust apart when cooked under pressure. See the step shot and Troubleshooting that follows the recipe.

INGREDIENTS

1

(10.5-ounce) can condensed French onion soup

2

tablespoons tomato paste

½

ounce dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed and minced

1

(2½- to 3-pound) boneless beef chuck-eye roast, trimmed and cut across grain into 1-inch slices

2

pounds small or medium Yukon Gold potatoes

1. HIGH PRESSURE FOR 30 MINUTES: Whisk soup, tomato paste, and porcini together in pressure-cooker pot, then lay sliced meat over top. Place potatoes on top of meat. Lock pressure-cooker lid in place and bring to high pressure over medium-high heat. As soon as pot reaches high pressure, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 30 minutes, adjusting heat as needed to maintain high pressure.

2. NATURALLY RELEASE PRESSURE: Remove pot from heat and allow pressure to release naturally for 15 minutes. Quick release any remaining pressure, then carefully remove lid, allowing steam to escape away from you.

3. BEFORE SERVING: Transfer meat and potatoes to platter. Using large spoon, skim excess fat from surface of sauce and serve meat and potatoes with sauce.