A Great Meal on a Busy Day

Thursday was a busy day for me.  The husband was home sick, so I had to take care of him.  My daughter left her homework at school so I to take that to her  I had about a thousand errands to run and most importantly, I had to go and get my done.  I have a lot of hair and that alone takes about 2 hours. Then there was dinner to make.  I knew that if I didn't plan ahead I would end up picking up some kind of fast food.  My kids and husband would love that, they could eat that stuff every meal.  But one of my goals this year is to eat cleaner and healthier.  Not just me, but the whole family. So I thought a pot roast would be the perfect solution.  I wanted to make a healthy meal that I that I could prepare before I left and let it cook all afternoon while I was out.

Now one of my favorite pot roast recipes I love is from The Pioneer Woman.  This is an old recipe of hers back from 2011 but I love it.  It is easy to make and always comes out good.  I usually have most of the ingredients in the house already.  Here are the ingredients you need.  A good piece of chuck roast, I used an organic, grass fed one.  You also need, some onions, carrots, mushrooms (optional), salt and pepper, beef stock, olive oil, red wine (optional), fresh rosemary and thyme if you have it, if not use dried, and  a bay leaf (my own addition). You may wonder why I don't have potatoes listed. I am serving this just like the original recipe, with mashed potatoes.  However, if you would like potatoes in your roast, feel free to add them.

First thing you need to do is cut your veggies and season your meat.  My onions were small so I used three.  Cut them in half, cut off the ends and peel.

 Wash your carrots and cut them into chunks.  Then season your meat with salt and pepper and set aside.  Heat up your olive oil in a large dutch oven over med. high heat. Whenyour pan is and good and hot, put your onions in cut side down and brown them, flip them and do the other side. When you onions are browned and caramelized, take them out and then add your carrots.  Cook your carrots till the get a little brown on them, stir them so they don't burn.

 When you have your carrots browned a little, take them out too.  Do the same thing with your mushrooms.At this point you made need a little more olive oil if your pan is dry, if so add a bout a tsp. more. Brown the mushrooms when they are done, transfer them to the bowl with the carrots and onions.  Then put your meat in the pot and sear it on both sides till it is golden brown.

When you have that done, take the meat out also and set it aside too.

Now it is time to deglaze the pan, you should have a lot of nice little brown particles stuck to bottom of the pan from searing all your veggies and meat, we are going to get that lifted off the bottom of the pot.  This is the good stuff that will add a lot of flavor to your sauce.  So we are going to take about 1/2 a cup of red wine and 1/2 a cup of broth and add it to the hot pot. If you don't want to use red wine just use all broth.

 Once you got that added, take a whisk or spatula and scrape all the yummy goodness from the bottom of the pan as the liquid boils.  If you use wine, let it boil for few minutes to burn off the alcohol.

While the liquid in the pot is boiling and reducing a bit we are going to get the fresh herbs ready. I like to take my herbs and tie them up with a string so they are easy to find and I don't have to hunt around for the stems or bay leaf.

Just lay a piece of kitchen twine down on the cutting boar, place your herbs on top and them up.  Just disregard this step is you are using dried.

Now go back to the pot and check it. When you get everything scraped off the bottom and the liquid has boiled and reduced a bit, it is time to add all the ingredients back to the pot.  Place the roast back in the pot and add enough broth to cover the meat about half-way, probably about 2 to 3 cups.  Then put your onion, carrots and mushrooms back in.  Add this point add your dried herbs and bay leaf  and season with some salt and pepper.

The time has come to put it in the oven.  Cover the pot and put it into a 275 degree oven.  I had about a 3 pound roast and I let it cook for 3 hours. If yours is 4 or 5 pound you will probably need about 4 hours.  You don't have to do anything else too it. This is when I left to run my errands and get my hair done. I did leave a note for the kids when they got home from school telling them I know I left the oven on, don't turn it off.  I didn't want them to think I accident'y left it on and turn if off and I come home to a raw roast.

Fast forward three hours.  You walk in the door to a yummy smelling house.  This is what you get when you pull that pot of gold out of the oven.  All I had left to do was prepare a pot of mashed potatoes and I roasted some asparagus.  In less than 30 minutes from getting home I had dinner ready. A nice healthy dinner, that was delicious and good for you.

Below is the whole recipe and a link to the Pioneer Woman's website if you want to see her original post.  http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/09/2008_the_year_of_the_pot_roast/

THE PERFECT POT ROAST

Prep time: 20 min.    Cook time: 3-4 hours    Servings: 10

Ingredients

• 1 whole (4 To 5 Pounds) Chuck Roast
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 whole Onions
• 6 whole Carrots (Up To 8 Carrots)
• Salt To Taste
• Pepper To Taste
• 1 cup Red Wine (optional, You Can Use Beef Broth Instead)
• 2 cups To 3 Cups Beef Stock
• 3 sprigs Fresh Thyme, or more to taste
• 3 sprigs Fresh Rosemary, or more to taste

Preparation Instructions

First and foremost, choose a nicely marbled piece of meat. This will enhance the flavor of your pot roast like nothing else. Generously salt and pepper your chuck roast.

Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Then add 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil (or you can do a butter/olive oil split).

Cut two onions in half and cut 6 to 8 carrots into 2-inch slices (you can peel them, but you don’t have to). When the oil in the pot is very hot (but not smoking), add in the halved onions, browning them on one side and then the other. Remove the onions to a plate.

Throw the carrots into the same very hot pan and toss them around a bit until slightly browned, about a minute or so.

If needed, add a bit more olive oil to the very hot pan. Place the meat in the pan and sear it for about a minute on all sides until it is nice and brown all over. Remove the roast to a plate.

With the burner still on high, use either red wine or beef broth (about 1 cup) to deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom with a whisk to get all of that wonderful flavor up.

When the bottom of the pan is sufficiently deglazed, place the roast back into the pan and add enough beef stock to cover the meat halfway (about 2 to 3 cups). Add in the onion and the carrots, as well as 3 or 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary and about 3 sprigs of fresh thyme.

Put the lid on, then roast in a 275F oven for 3 hours (for a 3-pound roast). For a 4 to 5-pound roast, plan on 4 hours.

I hope you take the time to try this recipe out one day when you are busy and don't have a lot of time but also don't want to serve your family fast food or pizza again.  Without much time or fuss you will be able sit down with your family to a delicious, healthy meal that you will be proud to serve.  A meal that even the pickiest eater will love.  Bon Appetit!!!!