Pot Roast with Glazed Carrots and Mashed Potatoes

By Kath Dedon

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Weekends are a great time to make a dinner that needs a long braise. Yesterday I started at about 2:00 to make a pot roast dinner that was ready to eat at 6:30. It was worth the wait!

I started with a 3¼ pound chuck roast. Not wanting to have leftover pot roast for days, I cut off 3 smaller portions (totaling about 1 pound, 5 ounces) and froze them for future use. That left a more manageable pot roast that was less than 2 pounds. I did not, however, reduce the amount of the braising vegetables and liquids.

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The recipe, as written below, serves 6.

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Pot Roast with Glazed Carrots and Mashed Potatoes

(Adapted from All About Braising, by Molly Stevens)

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(printable recipe)

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Serves 6

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1 (3½ – 4 pound) boneless chuck roast (or cut it into a smaller piece, as I did)
Coarse salt and black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ large onion (about 8 ounces), chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 cup red wine
1 cup beef or chicken broth (I used Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base)
Several leaves of fresh sage (or a tablespoon or so of dried sage)
8 to 10 black peppercorns

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For the carrots and potatoes:

1 ½ pounds carrots, peeled, cut in half and then cut lengthwise
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Russet potatoes (allow about 1 per person)
Milk
Butter

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1. Heat the oven to 300˚.

2. Tie the roast with kitchen string so it will hold together.

3. Season the meat all over with salt and pepper. Heat the 2 tablespoons oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Brown the beef on all sides, about 18 – 20 minutes total.

Remove the roast from the pot.

4. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic to the pot. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until they begin to brown, which takes about 5 minutes.

Pour in the wine. Stir well to get up all of the beefy flavor on the bottom of the pot. Bring to a boil and simmer until it’s reduced by about half, about 6 or 7 minutes. Add the broth and boil until it’s reduced by about one third, about 5 more minutes. Put the meat back in the pot. Add the sage and peppercorns. Cover with a piece of parchment paper. Press it down so it is almost touching the meat; then put the lid on.

5. Put the pot in the oven and set the timer for 1½ hours. Check the roast after about the first 15 minutes to make sure that it is not simmering too vigorously. You want to see just a few bubbles. Adjust the oven temperature if it needs it.

6. When the timer rings, turn the roast over, put it back in the oven and set the timer for another 1½ hours.

7. When the roast is almost done, peel the potatoes, quarter them, and put them in water to boil. Boil the potatoes and simmer until done. Keep them warm in the pot if they’re done a little too soon.

8. After the 3 hour braise, remove the roast from the pot, put it on a plate and cover it with foil.

9. Strain the cooking liquid, pushing with a spoon to get as much as you can. Discard the vegetables.

10. Heat the oil and butter in a skillet. Add the carrots. Season with salt and pepper and cook for about 5 minutes.

Add ½ cup of the braising liquid, cover the pan and simmer for about 5 minutes. Uncover; add the vinegar and parsley and cook for about another minute, until the liquid becomes a nice glaze.

11. While the carrots are simmering, mash the potatoes.

I like to use a potato ricer (a trick learned from Julia Child for the smoothest mashed potatoes) and then just stir some milk and about a tablespoon of butter into the potatoes. I just add enough milk to get the consistency I want and then add a bit of butter for flavor. Once mashed, you can put them over a pot of simmering water to keep them warm. (My Kitchenaid mixing bowl fits perfectly in a Revere Ware pot I have.)

12. Put the remaining sauce in a pan and boil for 1 or 2 minutes. Taste to see if it needs salt and pepper.

13. Cut the string from the roast, slice and serve with the carrots and potatoes. Put a bit of the sauce on each serving of meat.

Voilá! Dinner is ready!