Mike’s Pot Roast and Gravy
3 ½ - 4 lb. Chuck Roast
Swanson’s Beef Broth
½ - ¾ cup Red Wine
Garlic Infused Olive Oil
Sliced Sweet Yellow Onion
Carrots – halved or quartered
Parsnips – halved or quartered
Kitchen Bouquet
Lawrey’s , Garlic Powder, Sandhill Ben’s, Salt, Pepper…..use your imagination
Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees. Place heavy skillet or heavy cast/enamel cast roaster on stove top over medium high heat. Season roast well with spices on all sides. Add olive oil to pan and when the oil begins to heat add roast. Sear until nicely browned on all sides. Remove roast and deglaze pan with wine, scraping all the good bits off the bottom of the pan. Add roast back to pan and add beef broth to about half the thickness of the roast. Slice onion and place three or four slices on top of roast. Cover and place in oven for 2 hours. Now it’s time for gravy prep (see gravy recipe below).
After two hours gently remove the onion slices to a plate and turn the roast over. Replace the onion slices and cook for one more hour. Remove from oven and add carrots and/or parsnips (which are way better IMO). Roast for one more hour and remove from oven. Place roast and vegetables on platter and cover with foil to rest and hold.
Gravy
Start earlier in the day by combining ¼ - 2/3 cup of flour with one cup of water and get it as cold as possible. A Tupperware gravy mixing thingy is a plus so that there are no lumps of flour. After the roast comes out move the pan to a burner over medium high heat and bring the liquid to a boil while whisking in the cold flour/water mixture. Keep whisking the entire time to prevent clumping. Add a dash of Kitchen Bouquet, Lawrey’s, salt, pepper or whatever makes it taste right. There is no way I have found to give measurements for this step. Watch the salt though. It can overtake the gravy quickly.
Serve this dish with Mashed Potatoes and all will be right with the world!
