Classic Pot Roast with Root Vegetables

This is an amazingly delicious pot roast recipe, and it's very simple to do.  Great for a large family meal.

I've updated the recipe based on the most recent attempts.  Letting the roast rest in the fridge advance adds so much flavor.  The meat is still tender, but not mushy at all, and it soaks up all the flavor from the wine and tomato.

Classic Pot Roast with Root Vegetables

Ingredients

1 (3 ½- to 4-pound) boneless beef chuck-eye roast, pulled into two pieces at natural seam and trimmed of large knobs of fat
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 medium onions, halved and sliced thin (about 2 cups)
1 large carrot, chopped medium (about 1 cup)
1 celery rib, chopped medium (about ¾ cup)
2 medium garlic cloves, smashed but left whole
1 cup beef broth, plus 1 to 2 cups for sauce
½ cup dry red wine, plus ¼ cup for sauce
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 bay leaf

1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 sprig plus ¼ teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
Ground black pepper
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut crosswise into 2-inch pieces
1 pound parsnips, peeled and cut crosswise into 2-inch pieces
1 ½ pounds russet potatoes, peeled and halved lengthwise, each half quartered

Directions

Sprinkle pieces of meat with 1 tablespoon salt (1½ teaspoons if using table salt) or Montreal seasoning, and place on wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet.  Put in fridge and let sit for up to 48 hours, uncovered.

Before cooking, let roast stand at room temperature at least 1 hour.  Pat dry, if needed.

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium high heat until shining.  Sear each side of the roast until golden brown.  Set aside on a plate, making sure to capture all juices while resting.

Heat butter over medium heat. When foaming subsides, add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic, carrot and celery; continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes longer. Stir in 1/4 cup wine until fully absorbed.

Stir in 1 cup broth, 1/4 cup wine, tomato paste, bay leaf, rosemary sprig, and thyme sprig; bring to simmer.

Nestle meat on top of vegetables, pouring any juices from the plate back into the pot. Cover pot tightly with large piece of foil and cover with lid; transfer pot to oven. 

Cook beef for 3 hours.  Flip halfway through cooking, and add carrots, parsnips, and potatoes. 

If needed, continue cooking until beef is fully tender and sharp knife easily slips in and out of meat, about 30 minutes to 1 hour. Once pot roast and vegetables are fully cooked, transfer large pieces of carrot, parsnip, and potato to serving platter using slotted spoon, cover tightly with foil, and proceed with recipe as directed.

Transfer roasts to cutting board and tent loosely with foil. Strain liquid through mesh strainer into 4-cup liquid measuring cup. Discard bay leaf and thyme sprig. Transfer vegetables to blender jar. Allow liquid to settle 5 minutes, then skim any fat off surface. Add beef broth as necessary to bring liquid amount to 3 cups. Place liquid in blender with vegetables and blend until smooth, about 2 minutes. Transfer sauce to medium saucepan and bring to simmer over medium heat.

While sauce heats, remove twine from roast and slice against grain into ½-inch-thick slices. Transfer meat to large serving platter. Stir chopped thyme, remaining ¼ cup wine, and vinegar into sauce and season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon half of sauce over meat; pass remaining sauce separately.


Make-Ahead Pot Roast

This can be made up to 2 days ahead.  Chilling the whole cooked pot roast overnight improves its flavor and makes it moister and easier to slice.

Follow the recipe through step 4, transferring the cooked roasts  and root vegetables to a large bowls.  Strain and defat the liquid as directed in step 5 and add beef broth as necessary to bring the liquid amount to 3 cups.  Transfer the sauce vegetables and liquid to he bowl with the roasts, cool for 1 hour, cover with plastic wrap, cut vents in the plastic, and refrigerate up to 48 hours.  One hour before serving, adjust the oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 325 degrees.  Transfer the cold roasts to a cutting board, and slice them against the grain into 1/2 inch thick slices. Place them in a 13 by 9 inch baking dish, cover tightly with foil, and bake until heated through, about 45 minutes (do the same with the root vegetables in a separate dish).  While the roast heats, puree the liquid and vegetables as directed in step 5. Bring the sauce to a simmer and finish as directed in step 6 before serving with the meat.

Original link:
https://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipes/6225-classic-pot-roast-with-root-vegetables