Pot Roast

Saturday November 10

Our basic guide to pot roast is a simplification of Julia Child's classic smothered brisket recipe from The Way to Cook. It requires no pre-browning and sits happily in the oven for 4 hours with only an occasional baste. I can't believe we haven't had it for a year or more - at least, I can't find it when I search the blog, though it may be hiding under another name.

3-4 lb. beef brisket - though we use any braising cut of beef we can get at the IGA, following the wisdom of Alton Brown: top, not tip.
2 large cloves garlic
1/2 tsp. dried thyme (plus some fresh, if you've got it)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/4 cup oil
2-3 onions, sliced (not too thin)
1-2 cups diced tomatoes, canned or fresh
3-4 potatoes, ideally a boiling type like Yukon Golds, redskins, or Kennebecs
2-3 carrots
any other vegetable you'd like - parsnips, turnips, cauliflower, you name it.

Get your covered pyrex casserole or Dutch oven out - make sure it has enough room for both the roast and the later vegetables.

Mash the garlic up with the dried thyme, salt, and pepper, until it's a paste. Whip the oil into it, and rub the result all over the beef. You can let it marinate like this in the fridge, or proceed directly to roasting. If the latter, plop the beef in the center of your casserole, and pile first the onions, then the tomatoes (mixed with any fresh thyme you happen to have), on top of it. Cover tightly, and place in the center of a 300-degree oven.

Leave it there for 4 hours total. You should baste it once after 45 minutes, when the vedge and beef start to give forth their juices, and sort of irregularly thereafter, whenever you happen to wander by. The cover and the vedge on the top keep the whole thing moist, and there will be plenty of liquid in the casserole.

About an hour before you want to eat, cut up the potatoes, carrots, and/or any other vegetable you like that takes about that time, and throw them in the casserole, basting and submerging them in the liquid. Tenderer vegetables can go in later in the process and simmer for however long they take. Once the vedge is almost cooked, you can take off the lid and let some of the liquid evaporate. But we like it with plenty of sauce.

At the end, the beef is so tender you can pull it apart, or just take it out and slice it across the grain. Serve with the vedge alongside, and douse both with the abundant beefy juices. We love this reheated as leftovers as well.