For some reason I’ve always been nervous about pot roast. I’ve only made it, as far as I can remember, twice. Once was in one of those cooking bags, I think it turned out ok, but that was soooo long ago. The other time was in the crock pot, that one ended up way too tough. So when I went out to find a recipe and the right cut of meat, I was a bit unsure.
My mother-in-law told me she uses boneless chuck roasts, so when it went on sale, I went ahead and bought one. Just a couple weeks ago I saw on Fresh Tart a recipe for Pot Roast with Sherry, Onions, Thyme and Sour Cream. It seemed simple enough.
This is the only pan I had to make it in, so I added additional liquid so the meet was as covered as it would have been in a smaller pan. Does anyone know if I can put my glass lids for my calphalon pans in a 225 degree oven? The instructions say the pans can go up to 400 degrees but it doesn’t say anything about the lids…
Anyway, my changes are italicized. Check out a great lookin’ picture here. It turned out wonderful! It fell apart when a fork was put into it, perfect! Do you have any secrets or tips to make a perfect pot roast? I’d love to hear them!
Pot Roast with Sherry, Onions, Thyme, & Sour Cream
Serves 6
3-4 lb. chuck roast
2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced into slivers
coarse salt
1 Tbsp. oil
1 medium onion, peeled, trimmed, quartered
1/2 c. dry sherry (1 cup)
1/2 c. chicken or beef broth (2 cups)
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 bay leaf (1 tsp crushed bay leaves)
3 large carrots, peeled, cut into 2×1/2-inch sticks (1 carrot — my husband doesn’t eat ‘em :)
4 medium red potatoes, quartered (3 would have been enough)
2 Tbsp. sour cream (I made gravy using a flour/water mixture)
freshly ground black pepper
handful of fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
Preheat oven to 225 degrees F. Poke chuck roast in several places with a small sharp knife and press slivers of garlic into the holes. Sprinkle coarse salt generously over roast. Heat a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add oil to pan and brown the roast thoroughly on all sides. Remove roast to a large plate. Add onion to the pan, sprinkle lightly with salt, and saute for 2-3 minutes. Settle roast on top of onion, pour any accumulated juices into the pan, then pour in sherry and broth and add thyme and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer, cover, and transfer to the oven.
Bake roast for 3 hours (2 hours 40 minutes) (make sure it’s gently simmering; if not, increase heat a bit), until falling-apart tender. Add carrots and potatoes to the pan and cook for another 30 minutes (40 minutes), until vegetables are just tender. Remove roast and vegetables to a serving platter, cover loosely with foil, and transfer to a warm oven. Skim fat from pan juices, remove bay leaf, and whisk in sour cream (whisked in water and flour that was well blended and boiled over the stove until thick). Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Slice roast, top roast and vegetables with fresh parsley, and serve with pan sauce.
Recipe from Fresh Tart
