Lady of the Slough’s Pot Roast

(Using a Boneless Chuck Roast from Andal’s Custom Meats in Mt. Vernon, WA)

A 3 lb frozen boneless chuck roast, defrosted

2-3 cups of coarsely chopped celery

2-3 chunks of baby carrots, cut in half

1-2 onions (optional)

2-4 cups of coarsely chopped Yukon Gold or red potatoes

3 cans Beef Consommé soup

2 packages of McCormick’s Brown Gravy Mix

2 TBS oil

2 cloves of fresh garlic minced

4 TBS flour

2 TBS butter

1 cup of red or white wine

1 TBS dried Rosemary

1 TBS dried Thyme

Andal’s and other local to buy custom meats (such as Three Sisters on Whidbey Island or Samish Bay Cheese in Bow) sell primarily frozen meat.  Defrost by sitting wrapped package on the kitchen counter for several hours.  Remove the wrapping, dry with paper towels, and store the roast on a plate – uncovered –at least overnight.  Remove netting on the meat and dry thoroughly with paper towel.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Pour all 3 cans of Beef Consommé Soup into a large oven-proof baking dish (with lid).  Heat 2 TBS of oil in a frying pan, over high heat; dust roast on all sides with 2 TBS flour; then brown on all sides in the hot oil.

Transfer browned roast to oven-proof baking dish.  Add 2 cloves to the oil and stir quickly.  Then add the 1 cup of wine to the frying (to deglaze it) along with the Thyme and Rosemary.  Simmer for 2-3 minutes.  Scrape the bits of roast stuck to the pan and pour contents of frying pan over the top of the roast.

Cover pot tightly with tin foil, then put the lid on and put into the preheated oven.

The roast should cook slowly for 3+ hours, turning it once.   Then add the vegetables to the baking dish – onions, celery, carrots first, then potatoes on the top.  Sprinkle with 2 packages of Brown Gravy Mix, replace the tight foil cover and lid, and return to the oven for an hour.

If the sauce is too thin, remove the meat to a platter and remove the veggies to a bowl, using a slotted spoon.  Heat the oven-proof pan on top of the stove on medium high until liquid simmers.

Meanwhile … put 2 TBS softened butter in a small bowl along with 2 TBS flour and mix thoroughly with a spoon until flour has been completely combined with butter.  (*Use more or less butter and flour depending on consistency of the sauce; just so they are in equal parts *)

Remove pan from heat and whisk the flour/butter mixture into the sauce until it is thoroughly blended.  Then return pan to the burner, cook on medium high for 3-4 minutes, while stirring, until the flour is completely cooked.  Gravy should now be the desired consistency.

Turn heat off.  Pour the vegetables back into the pan.  Slice the meat and arrange it on top of the vegetables; serve by placing the whole oven-proof pan on the table.

Or serve vegetables, sliced meat, and gravy in three separate containers.  One pot is easier for cleanup.

Serve with warm French bread or French rolls to sop up the gravy.  It’s the perfect dish for a cold winter’s night when you’ve been busy preparing for Holiday Company, plus it smells delightful while happily cooking in the oven.