The basic pot roast is the same almost everywhere. This is the recipe from my parents, brought from Michigan to California. It is almost exactly the same recipe from my wife’s family in Florida, brought from Colorado and Kentucky. Since it hasn’t changed much over the years, it must be just about the perfect recipe. We have enjoyed it over the years and the aroma of the cooking roast brings back memories of festive times with the family that we enjoyed so very long ago.

• 1 - 3 to 4 pound chuck pot roast
• Onion salt
• 3 tablespoons olive or cooking oil
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 12 teaspoon ground thyme
• 4 stalks celery
• 8 medium carrots
• 1/2 pound young green beans
• 1/4 cup cold water

• Ground black pepper
• Garlic salt
• 4 cups beef broth, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon ground sage
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3 medium yellow onions, quartered
• 8 medium Russet potatoes
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 tablespoons Kitchen Bouquet

1. The night before cooking, remove pot roast from store wrapper. Rinse under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle all sides liberally with ground black pepper, garlic and onion salts. Place roast in a glass or stainless steel bowl and cover securely with plastic wrap. Place in refrigerator until next day.
2. Add oil to roasting pan and heat over medium high heat. When the oil is hot, sear the roast on all sides until a nice golden brown. Remove roast from pan and set aside. Deglaze the pan bottom with 1 cup of the beef broth (or substitute 1 cup of red wine, if desired). Cover the bottom of the roasting pan with the celery stalks (to keep the roast off the bottom of the pan). Return the roast to the pan. Add another 2 cups of beef broth and season with onion powder, sage, thyme and nutmeg. Heat to a boil, reduce heat to a slow simmer and cover with tight fitting lid. Simmer for 1 hour.

   

3. Peel onions and quarter. Peel carrots and cut into 2-inch lengths. Peel potatoes and quarter. After meaat has simmered for one hour, add the onions, carrots and potatoes to the pot, arranging around the pot roast. Recover and simmer an additional 1 hour.
4. Snap ends and pull any string from young, tender green beans. Break in 2-inch lengths. Blanch in boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain and quench in iced water. After the second hour of simmering the roast, drain the green beans and add to the pot roast. Recover and simmer an additional ½ hour or until beans, carrots and potatoes are tender.

   

5. Remove roast from pan and set aside to rest before carving. Use slotted spoon to remove vegetables from pan to serving bowl. Cover with plastic wrap to keep hot. Strain broth to remove any pieces of broken potato or celery. Return broth to pan. Add reserved 1 cup of beef broth. Heat to a boil, lower heat to a simmer.
6. Slice the roast. An electric carving knife works best because the meat is very tender and tears easily when using a regular knife.
7. Mix water and flour to make a slurry. Add slurry to broth and stir until gravy thickens. Add 2 tablespoons of Kitchen Bouquet stir to mix. When gravy has thickened to the desired consistency, remove from heat. Drizzle the sliced meat lightly with gravy and serve the remaining gravy tableside with the roast and vegetables.

   

This recipe has been handed down from since I was but a little kid. Back then turnips, parsnips or rhutabagas were frequently added to soups and stews. Never fond of these particular vegetables, I have omitted them here but feel free to add them if you like. On occasion I have added sliced mushrooms to the pot. I like them in this dish and the resulting gravy is exceptional.