Pot Roast with Veggies

I was at the grocery store today picking up "everyday" items when it dawned on me:  I had carrots, onion, and celery left over in the fridge from a few days ago that needed to be used.  In my world, celery + carrots + onion = pot roast materials.  So, I browsed online and found one from one of my favorite blogs, elly says opa! Most of the ingredients are the same as hers, but since I don't have a food scale, I don't do "pounds" of potatoes... I have to count.  :)


Ingredients:

3-4 lb. pot roast
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3-4 celery stalks, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. tomato paste
3/4 c. red wine
32 oz. beef broth
1 tsp. dried rosemary
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 bay leaf
4 potatoes, peeled and cut into large "chunks" (smaller than quartered :))
4 carrots, peeled and chopped into pieces
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Season the roast with salt and pepper, then sear in the oil on all sides.  Remove the roast and set aside.  Add garlic, onions, and celery.  Saute till tender.  Add tomato paste, and cook till browned (1-2 minutes).

Deglaze with red wine (If you're like me and had to look up the word "deglaze," I'll save you the trouble:  it means to add liquid to a saute pan, bringing up the heat to simmer it down into a saucier version of what was orginially there, all while scraping up the browned bits left on the bottom of the pan.  You can thank me later :))

Add beef broth, salt, and pepper (to taste).  Place roast back into the Dutch oven.  Add rosemary, thyme, and bay leaf.  Bring to a boil, cover, and place into the oven.  Cook for 3 hours-- turn the roast occasionally.

Add potatoes, carrots, and mushrooms, stirring so all veggies are covered with some cooking liquid. Cook for another 45 minutes to an hour, until veggies are soft. 

Remove pot roast and veggies from the Dutch oven.  Meanwhile, place the pot over high heat and reduce the liquid to thicken.  Serve sauce over meat and vegetables. 

Enjoy!

Verdict: Keeper, with revision

Cooking this was an adventure-- another way to play with my cast iron Dutch oven. Plus, I had to look up what "deglazing" meant! Most everything went according to plan, with the exception of my main veggies. My potatoes and carrots ended up being underdone. So, when I make this again (and trust me, it will be made again) I'll have to cook it longer to give me the mushier potatoes I crave when I want pot roast. Either that or cut them into smaller chunks. Either way, the flavor was perfect... now I just need to work on my timing (i.e. "patience!")