Pot Roast
I’m not sure there’s a lot of great original American cuisine. Creole and Cajun certainly are true American, but they are also amalgamations of other cuisines. I guess almost all American cuisine is merely combining different cuisines from around the world. But, one frontier food that is American (even though in many ways it is merely a version of the French Beef Bourguignon) is the classic Pot Roast. A great pot roast is hard to beat. Succulent, tender, rich, often cooked in one pot (what better for clean up!), it is an American classic.
My version brings back some of its French roots and places the carrots at the center of this dish, playing with and enhancing their natural sweetness. If you want to go really expensive, you could use Short Ribs for this, which are such a great cut of meat and take so well to braising. I love using them. But, in this case, I was going for something a little cheaper so my choice than is a chuck roast. I know most pot roasts call for a rump roast, but, for myself, the rump roast is too easy to dry out and over cook. So I go with something with more marbling.
Most Pot Roasts also have potatoes in the same pot as the roast. Hence, it’s a one pot meal. I admit, I don’t often like boiled potatoes, myself. In some dishes they certainly have their place: raclette for example. So, I make a little bit of a mess, by also making mashed potatoes. I think the silky, smooth potatoes against the chewiness of the meat is perfect.
Oh… and I use one more dish to caramelize the mushrooms. I really do not like boiled mushrooms, haha.
Here we go!
Ingredients:
Pot Roast:
2 lb. chuck roast (could easily amp this up to cook more meat)
1 small onion
1 large carrot
2 stalks of celery
1 bundle of fresh herbs: 4 sprigs of thyme, 1 sprig of rosemary, 2 sprigs of sage, 2 sprigs of oregano
2 bay leaves
½ cup of dry white wine
½ cup of dry sherry + a splash of sherry
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
8-10 heirloom carrots, peeled and cut in half
1 pint of mushrooms
4 cups of beef stock
1 tablespoon of cornstarch
1 cup of frozen pearl onions
½ cup of frozen peas
1 tablespoon of fresh chives chopped
Horseradish
½ cup of sour cream
2 tablespoons of peanut oil
Salt and Pepper
Mashed Potatoes:
4 Idaho Potatoes
1 stick of butter
¼ cup of milk
Salt and Pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 325 degrees
In a large Dutch oven or heavy bottomed pan that is oven safe, add in the peanut oil and place on the stove, heating to high to get the pan nice and hot. Take the chuck roast and liberally salt and pepper every side. Once ready, place carefully into the pot. The oil may pop. Allow the beef to caramelize. Browning it is what develops it’s flavor. Once it is nice and brown, turn to another side and continue until the entire roast is browned. Place the roast on a plate and turn off the heat. Into the still sizzling hot pan add the small onion halved, one carrot halved (not the heirlooms), and 2 stalks of celery. You want to keep these in a larger size because you will be removing them. Right after, pour in the white wine and sherry. Using a wooden spoon, scrap the bottom of the pan so that the liquid deglazes the pan and releases the brown bits from the bottom. Turn the heat back on to a medium high and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer. Simmer until the alcohol is reduced by half. At this point, add in the 4 cups of beef stock, the tied herb bundle, bay leaves, salt and pepper, and tomato paste. Stir. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. At this point, add the beef back into the pot. Cover and place in a preheated 325 degree oven for 2 hours.
After two hours, wash potatoes and peel. Cut into even chunks and add to a pot. Cover the potatoes with cold water. Then place the pot on the stove and bring to a boil, before lowering it to a simmer. Cook potatoes for about 30 mins or until fork tender.
While this is going on, take a large skillet and place on the stove. Add peanut oil to the pan and allow to get hot. Add mushrooms cap size down and allow to brown on high. Toss them once the caps are brown in the oil and continue to cook until they are completely caramelized. Take off heat and add a splash of sherry. Cover immediately and let steam for a minute or two.
Remove the pot from the oven and open. At this point, the onion, carrots, and celery have done their job! You need to remove them and toss. Keep the herbs in the pot. Then, add in the heirlooms carrots that have been peeled and halved as well as the mushrooms, reserving the liquid from the mushroom pan for later. Cover again and place back in the oven for another hour.
When the potatoes are fork tender, turn off the heat and leave on the stove in the hot water until needed.
When the pot roast has cooked for 3 hours, remove it from the oven. Take the liquid from the mushroom pan and whisk together with the cornstarch. Add the cornstarch slurry to the pot and bring whisk well. Bring to a boil stirring constantly. At this point, it is thickened. If it is not thick enough, add more cornstarch slurry. Turn off heat. With the heat off, add in the frozen onions and peas and place a lid back on the pot roast. They will take only a few minutes to come to temperature.
At this point, drain the potatoes in a colander in the sink and once drained, place back in the pot and place on the stove. Add butter, milk, salt, and pepper and mash until the potatoes are smooth.
In another small bowl, grate fresh horseradish. Add sour cream to it as well as salt and pepper. Stir together.
Cut chives for garnish.
Plate with the mashed potatoes on the bottom of the plate, with the pot roast on top with carrots, mushrooms, peas, and onions, before finally topping the meat with the horseradish cream.
