Saturday, January 28, 2012

Perfectly Easy Pot Roast by Lucy Burdette



My good writing pal Hallie Ephron has a way of making cooking look easy. For example, she hosted a planning meeting for the New England Crimebake convention last fall and served 15 people without blinking an eye. (And still got her words written for the day!) And the food was yummy!

So I asked her for the recipe--it's truly easy. I try not to eat or serve too much red meat, but every once in a while I cave into the call of something this delicious. This can made on the same day you plan to serve, but it's even better the next day.

1 3 lb brisket or chuck roast
Flour, salt and pepper to coat
1 bottle of Heinz chili sauce
1 pkg of onion soup mix
1 beer (any kind)
6-8 carrots, peeled and cut into 2 inch chunks
1 rutabaga, peeled and cut into chunks
8 oz box mushrooms, cleaned and quartered

Dredge the roast in flour, sprinkle it with salt and pepper, then brown both sides in olive oil. Then add all ingredients above to the pot, except for the mushrooms. Simmer for 4 hours, or even longer, at least until it's truly fork tender. Refrigerate overnight, skim the fat, add the quartered mushrooms, and simmer 2 or more hours.

Hallie served her roast with oven-fried potatoes and a green salad. I made mashed potatoes because I wanted a vehicle for all that amazing gravy!

My recipe for the potatoes is peel, chop, and boil potatoes until tender. Dump them into a colander, warm 1/4 to 1/2 cup milk and a couple of tablespoons of butter in the pot. Once the milk is warm and butter melted, return potatoes to the pot and mash. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

I'm sorry to say I do not have a photo of the finished product because we were so busy eating it! But while you're waiting for your roast to cook, you have time to read about the new Key West food critic mystery, AN APPETITE FOR MURDER or peruse a few other recipes. And please follow my writing and cooking and eating adventures on Twitter and Facebook.

7 comments:

  1. This sounds absolutely delicious. I'm the same way.... I don't often want red meat, but when I do I want something fabulous. I am definitely going to try this recipe. I know my family will love it. Thanks for sharing!

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  2. Easy is as easy does! Nice recipe. Thank Hallie for me.

    ~Avery

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  3. I hardly ever make pot roast anymore, but it's so delicious and comforting, especially on cold days. It's easy, too. Must remember that when I need more writing time.

    ~ Krista

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  4. The perfect recipe for a winter weekend. Hearty, delicious, and easy to pull together. Thank you, Lucy and Hallie. At the kitchen table *and* the writing desk, you ladies got it goin' on (as we say in Queens' parlance). Enjoy your weekend!

    ~ Cleo

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  5. Why do you let it sit over night?

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  6. I guess the flavors meld together overnight Karen. Seems to work with soups too!

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