Pot Roast

This is actually one of my favorite Sunday night meals . . . I start it simmering early in the day and the house smells so good all day long.  It's so satisfying at the end of a cold winter day.

This recipe will feed 4-6 people.  You can adjust as needed.

2 pounds of chuck beef (you need a cut with a fair amount of fat and connective tissue so it will melt into the meat and be really tender -- don't mess around with a "better" cut of beef because quite frankly, it won't be nearly as good).
1 large onion, cut into chunks
3 stalks of celery, diced
3-4 large carrots, peeled and diced
2 large potatoes, or 4-6 smaller ones, washed and cut into bite sized pieces (no need to peel if they're well-washed)
salt and pepper
1 tsp. each of dried thyme and rosemary
2-3 tbsp. olive oil
2 cups of chicken broth
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 pint of mushrooms, sliced (I like Baby Bellas, but white button are just fine too)
2 tbsp. flour

Sprinkle the beef on both sides with liberal amounts of salt and pepper and in a skillet, brown it on both sides in olive oil.  (this step and the next can be skipped and you can put everything straight into the crock pot or pot you'll use to simmer, but it does add some extra flavor).

Once it's done, saute the veggies (except for the peas and mushrooms) in the same pan, until they brown and pick up all the bits of meat on them.  (also optional, but yummy for developing more flavor).  Sprinkle them with  just a bit of salt to release the water in the veggies.

Put the beef in the bottom of your cooking vessel, cover with the veggies, add the remaining herbs, and cover with the chicken broth.

Set your crock pot for low and simmer for 6 hours, or set your oven burner on low and also simmer for 6 hours.

When the time is up, gently remove the pot roast, and cover it with foil to let the meat rest.   Sprinkle the flour into the broth and veggies and whisk it  until it's all incorporated into the broth.   Add the peas and mushrooms, and cook for another 20 minutes. 

Just before serving, gently slice the pot roast with the grain of the meat -- it should really just fall apart by this time.   Put some gravy over the top of it and serve the rest of the gravy and veggies as a side dish.

I love serving mashed potatoes with this meal, but egg noodles are great too.