Pot roast with vegetables

Perfect for a dad’s dinner.

I had a craving for pot roast the other day, so I looked up a recipe online (allrecipes.com, which I almost never use) and bought the ingredients. The version I made has some changes from the original recipe, to better suit a wider range of palettes.

All in all, I was happy how it turned out: tender, flavorful and filling, as only cow-meat can be. This one even had vegetables in it, so it was rather a guilt-free pleasure.

What you’ll need:

• 1T vegetable oil
• 3.5-pound boneless beef chuck roast
• salt and ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2.5 cups beef stock
• 1 (14oz) can diced tomatoes
• .25-cup red wine vinegar
• 1T brown sugar
• 2 bay leaves
• .75-pound carrots, cut into 1-inch-thick slices
• 1.5T cornstarch
• 1.5 tablespoons cold water
• Few sprigs of fresh thyme
• Few leaves of fresh basil, torn into small pieces

The carrots are for the non-carnivores that may be dwelling in your inner psyche.

What to do:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
2. Heat vegetable oil in a large, heavy pot or cast-iron Dutch oven over medium heat. Brown chuck roast in the hot oil completely, 5 to 8 minutes per side; season with salt and black pepper and transfer to a platter. Reserve oil in pot.
3. Cook and stir onion in the oil until onions are golden, about 15 minutes.
4. Add the garlic in 10 minutes and get that golden, too.
5. Stir beef stock, tomatoes, red wine vinegar, brown sugar, and bay leaves into onions and garlic; bring to a boil and place chuck roast into the mixture. Cover pot.
6. Cook in the preheated oven until meat is tender, 4-4.5 hours. Scatter carrot slices around the beef and bring to a boil over medium heat on your cooktop; return to oven for 30 more minutes.
7. Transfer beef to a serving platter, cover loosely with a tent of aluminum foil, and let it rest for 10 minutes.
8. Whisk cornstarch into cold water in a small bowl and stir into the pan drippings. Season with basil and thyme, if you like. Simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaves.
9. Serve

The gravy goes nicely over any kind of pasta or mashed potatoes.

And here’s a shot of the full meal.