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Tender pot roast with carrots and golden potatoes on a cream platter.
Main5h8 servings

Sunday Pot Roast

Loretta's pot-roast card says low oven, all afternoon, which is accurate in spirit and difficult to put on a calendar. I kept the low oven, gave the roast a real range, and added the vegetables later so they taste like carrots and potatoes rather than witnesses to a long event. Chuck roast needs time beyond basic food safety; it becomes tender when its connective tissue finally gives up, usually near 200°F. The fork is a better final judge. This is the recipe I would choose when I want the apartment to smell as if I have been organized since morning, even when the onions were still in their bag at noon.

Loretta's card

SUNDAY ROAST good chuck roast salt + pepper, brown it 2 onions garlic tomato paste wine if open beef broth halfway thyme + bay low oven all afternoon potatoes + carrots later make gravy

Front notes: The front is in Loretta's blue ballpoint with a faint brown splash below broth.

Ingredients

  • 3 1/2–4 pounds boneless beef chuck roast (1.6–1.8 kg)
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (13 g)
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons neutral oil (30 ml)
  • 2 large yellow onions, cut into wedges (400 g)
  • 4 cloves garlic, smashed
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste (32 g)
  • 1 cup dry red wine or more broth (240 ml)
  • 3 cups low-sodium beef broth (710 ml)
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (15 ml)
  • 2 sprigs thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, 2-inch pieces (680 g)
  • 1 pound carrots, 2-inch pieces (450 g)
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch, optional (16 g)
  • 2 tablespoons cold water for optional gravy (30 ml)

Steps

  1. 1Heat oven to 300°F (150°C). Season and deeply brown roast in a Dutch oven; remove.
  2. 2Cook onions 5 minutes; add garlic and tomato paste, then deglaze with wine and simmer 3 minutes.
  3. 3Add broth, Worcestershire, thyme, and bay. Return roast, cover, and braise 2 hours.
  4. 4Turn roast, add potatoes and carrots, and braise 1 1/2–2 1/2 hours until fork-tender, commonly 195–205°F (91–96°C).
  5. 5Rest meat and vegetables. Skim liquid and optionally thicken with a cold cornstarch slurry.
  6. 6Slice across the grain or pull into large pieces; serve with vegetables and gravy.

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