Sunday Pot Roast With Carrots and Potatoes, Just Like Grandma Made

At our house, Sunday meant pot roast. I would brown the meat after church, slide the heavy pot into a low oven and forget about it for the afternoon while the kitchen filled with the smell of onions, thyme and beef. By supper the meat falls apart with a spoon, the carrots are sweet and soft, and there is a pan of gravy waiting for the potatoes. It is not fancy food, but it is the meal my children still ask for when they come home. A chuck roast is the cut you want here: it has enough marbling to turn tender and juicy after a long, slow bake.

Servings: 6 · Prep: 25 min · Cook: 210 min

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 lb (1.6 kg) boneless beef chuck roast
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp (30 ml) vegetable oil
• 2 medium yellow onions, cut in wedges
• 4 garlic cloves, smashed
• 2 tbsp (30 g) tomato paste
• 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) beef broth
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) Worcestershire sauce
• 4 fresh thyme sprigs (or 1 tsp dried)
• 2 bay leaves
• 5 medium carrots, cut in 2-inch (5 cm) pieces
• 1 1/2 lb (680 g) small yellow potatoes, halved
• 2 tbsp (16 g) cornstarch
• 3 tbsp (45 ml) cold water

Method

1. Take the roast out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking and pat it dry with paper towels. Season it on all sides with the salt and pepper. Heat the oven to 300°F (150°C) and set a rack in the lower third.
2. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Brown the roast for 4 to 5 minutes per side, without moving it, until it has a deep brown crust all over. Lift it onto a plate.
3. Lower the heat to medium. Add the onion wedges and garlic to the pot and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring. Stir in the tomato paste and cook 1 minute more, until it darkens a little.
4. Pour in the beef broth and Worcestershire sauce and scrape up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Put the roast back in with any juices, tuck in the thyme and bay leaves, and bring to a gentle simmer.
5. Cover with the lid and bake for 1 1/2 hours. Then nestle the carrots and potatoes around the meat, cover again and bake 1 1/2 to 2 hours longer, until the beef pulls apart easily with a fork and the vegetables are tender.
6. Move the meat and vegetables to a warm platter and cover loosely with foil. Skim the fat from the cooking liquid and remove the bay leaves and thyme stems.
7. Set the pot over medium heat and bring the liquid to a simmer. Stir the cornstarch into the cold water, whisk it into the pot and simmer 1 to 2 minutes until the gravy thickens. Taste for salt, slice or pull the beef into chunks and serve with the gravy poured over.

Tips and variations

• Do not rush the browning step: that dark crust gives the gravy most of its flavor.
• If the roast is still tough, it simply needs more time. Put it back in the oven for another 30 minutes and check again.
• Leftovers keep 4 days in the fridge and make wonderful beef sandwiches with a spoonful of warm gravy.
• Swap a few potatoes for chunks of parsnip or rutabaga in the fall for a sweeter, earthier pot.

Set the table, call everybody in and let this pot roast do what it has done at our house for years: bring the family together. Enjoy!