Mom's Pot Roast with Vidalia Onion Gravy

Relish the roast, tonight and tomorrow
By ANNE BYRN

Posted: Nov. 8, 2005
http://www.jsonline.com/entree/cooking/nov05/368960.asp

It could be November, January or June, and I still love pot roast.
Mom's Roast - Take comfort in pot roast the day you make
it and the second time around.

Menu
Mom's Pot Roast with Vidalia Onion Gravy
Steamed green beans
Warm rolls
Banana pudding

Is it the cooked-down, comforting flavor that I find so
alluring, or is it just the convenience of tucking it in the
oven, only to come back hours later and find dinner ready?

Both, undoubtedly.

The real secret to slowly cooked pot roast is that you add
no liquid to the pan.

The big, sweet onions cook down, and this provides all the
juice you need for the beef to simmer.

About an hour before the pot roast is done, pull the casserole
from the oven and add some pre-peeled baby carrots from the
produce department and some chunks of potato.

Return the casserole to the oven and the veggies will steam
on top of the roast, becoming tender and flavorful.

Vary the root vegetables here, adding parsnips, rutabagas
and/or turnips instead of the carrots and potatoes. And feel
free to doctor the pot roast by adding garlic, a bay leaf or a
dash - but only a dash - of red wine.

Paired with a green vegetable such as green beans, bread
and a cozy dessert of pudding, you have a meal to savor
while you settle in for the evening.

If your family cannot eat all of the roast in one meal, don't
fret. It provides leftovers for another meal:

1. Place slices of the roast on slices of French bread. Spread
with the sauce, sprinkle with shredded Parmesan cheese
and broil until warmed through for easy melted sandwiches.

2. Chop the leftover roast and onions and add to quesadillas
along with shredded Monterey jack cheese.
Grill on both sides until crispy.

3. Chop the leftover roast, onions and potatoes and heat in
a frying pan with pan juices until the mixture is warmed
through. Serve with cheese grits and a green salad.

4. Chop the leftover beef and add to a large saucepot along
with the following: 1 large can of tomatoes plus juice and 1
can water, 1 can of beef stock, and 10 ounces (or more, if
you like) frozen soup vegetables. Simmer about an hour.
Taste for seasoning, and serve.

5. Chop the leftover beef and onions, and sauté a minute
in 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add a 26-ounce jar of pasta sauce
and ½ cup red wine. Let simmer 20 minutes, then serve
atop your favorite pasta.

Mom's Pot Roast with Vidalia Onion Gravy
1 boneless beef chuck roast (about 4 pounds)
Salt and black pepper
¼ cup flour
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 large sweet onions, such as Vidalias, peeled and cut in
half crosswise
4 cups pre-peeled baby carrots (optional)
4 cups quartered peeled potatoes (optional)

Preparation time: 10 minutes.
Cooking time: 7 to 9 minutes.
Baking time: 3 to 3½ hours.

Pat roast dry with paper towels and season it to taste with
salt and pepper. Place flour in a shallow bowl. Dredge roast
in flour, then shake off the excess.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Heat oil in a 5- to 6-quart heavy, flameproof casserole or
Dutch oven with a cover over medium-high heat.

Add roast and brown it on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes per side.
Remove casserole from heat; transfer roast to a plate.

Place onion halves, cut-side down, in bottom of casserole.
Place roast on top of onions and cover the casserole.

Bake beef on center rack of preheated oven until it is quite
tender and juices have thickened, 3 to 3½ hours.

One hour before beef is done, add carrots and potatoes, if
using, to casserole. Spoon juices over vegetables to baste
them, replace casserole lid and return casserole to oven.

To serve, carefully remove roast from casserole and slice.
Arrange beef slices on plates with carrots, onions and
potatoes, if using, and spoon pan juices on top.

Makes 8 servings.
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