As a Pot Roast cooks in a warm oven, the delicious aroma of meat and herbs fills the kitchen. When the meat begins to flake apart easily it is time for the family to gather around the table to enjoy the hearty comfort of a deliciously satisfying meal.
My Winter Kitchen
Mid-January always feels like a challenging space in my annual calendar. The holidays are past and winter settles in. The shortest days of the year are not only brief but often deeply gray in this part of the country. Rain clouds gather over us for days on end lending little light and an aura of gloom to our winter routines.
While the dull sky threatens to bring me down, one of my favorite places of refuge is the kitchen. On a dim afternoon it is comforting to light a candle and watch the flame dance. It brightens the space between my spice-colored kitchen walls. I add the sound of a familiar playlist and turn the oven on low while I contemplate dinner.
Mid-winter, above all other times of the year, is the season that begs for comfort food. Sitting here my mind turns to Beef Barley Soup, Chicken and Dumplings and Roast Beef. These were some of the dishes I enjoyed around the family table as a child. These dinners from my past have withstood the test of time and are highly favored by my children too.
Cooking a Pot Roast
Tonight I am planning to serve Beef Pot Roast. While it cooks the aroma of meat and herbs will waft through the house and the warmth of the oven will make the kitchen toasty and inviting. When the meat begins to flake apart easily I will put some potatoes on to boil. Before I know it the family will gather and we will share a meal of tender meat and hearty vegetables.
Within a month the Witch Hazel will bloom at the side of the house and announce the promise of another spring’s slow unfurling. Step by step my garden will regenerate and open itself anew. Meanwhile we will incubate a culture of warmth and welcome in my home kitchen. It is a sign of comfort and hope to have a covered pot in a warm oven on a cold winter day. With the kitchen fragrant and warm we will gather around our table and savor the blessings of the season.
Pot Roast
Course: Main DishCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy30
minutes4
hours4
hours30
minutesWhile a Pot Roast cooks in the oven the delicious aroma of meat and herbs warms your kitchen with the promise of satisfying comfort food.
Ingredients
2-4 Tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, cut into wedges
6 carrots
4 stalks celery
3.5 to 4 lb. pot roast (I used a beef chuck roast)
salt
pepper
1/2 cup flour
1 cup wine
2 Tablespoons brandy, if desired
2 cups beef broth
3 cloves garlic
3 sprigs rosemary
4-6 sprigs thyme
Directions
- Place a Dutch oven on the stovetop over medium heat (I use my 5-quart Le Creuset oval French oven.) When hot, add two Tablespoons olive oil and heat until shimmery.
- Brown the onion in the oil. When it begins to soften turn it to brown on all sides. When done remove to a plate.
- Add the carrots and celery to the hot Dutch oven and brown them on all sides before removing to the same plate.
- Season the roast with salt and pepper. Dredge it in the flour. Add additional oil to the pot if needed. When hot, place the roast in the dutch oven and brown it on all sides. When brown remove and set aside.
- Add wine (and brandy, if desired) to the pot slowly. Whisk off stuck or browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Add back pot roast. Pour in the beef broth. Add back the carrots, celery and onion. Submerge the garlic and herb sprigs in broth.
- Cover tightly with lid. Place covered pot in the oven at 275F for 3-4 hours, or until the meat is fall-apart tender.
- Remove the meat and vegetables to a serving platter. Serve with reduced pot juices and boiled or mashed potatoes, if desired.
Notes
- Instead of adding potatoes to the pot I often serve this pot roast with Old-Fashioned Mashed Potatoes. If you prefer not to make mashed potatoes, small potatoes can be added to the roasting pot an hour or so before the roast is done; enough time for them to cook through without becoming too soft.
- For added flavor, make several small slits in the surface of the roast and insert peeled cloves of garlic just before dredging and browning the meat. Or, add a handful of sliced mushrooms along with the carrots and celery.
I enjoyed reading your post. It made me feel snug and warm. I just bought a roast today. I won't be able to try your recipe until Saturday, so I hope the date will still be good by then. I'll have to check that out.
Lisa, this blog entry brought me right back to my grandmother's little, but warm, kitchen on Whidbey Island on a late winter afternoon. Your beautiful prose makes me want to eat and cry, all at once.
truth–my favorite thing about a pot roast is not the roast itself, but the juice-infested veggies that get cooked with it. hooray for soggy carrots and taters!
Looks delicious! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
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Looks delicious! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
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Well said and so true – there's nothing better than comfort food and a warm kitchen. Hang in there!
Pot roast is perfect on a cold day…the fragrance while it is cooking is so wonderful. I like using wine and brandy with the beef broth.
Saved. Looks like a great recipe. Can't wait to try it.
Thanks
Tamara
Hi Lisa- I've been in such a mood for comfort food as well lately. I recently made chicken and dumplings and have been thinking pot roast. This looks like such a nice recipe. I like that it is cooked at a lower temp for several hours. I bet it tasted divine!
Have a terrific week despite the gloominess outside. 🙂