Sunday Pot Roast

After enduring the longest, coldest, snowiest winter of my life, I finally made it back to Boston to visit my best friend.

The morning after I arrived, I woke up to snow. Snow falling. Snowy snow. Snow.

It didn't last long, and didn't stay long--just snowy snow for the day.

And snow makes me think of comfort food.

Today it made me think of Pot Roast.

I love making a good pot roast, but I rarely get to. There's no real point in making a pot roast just for myself.

So I offered to make on today for Sunday supper with my friend and her family.

Over the years, I've gotten to try many variations on pot roast. I've tried slow cooker pot roast, and low fat pot roast, and hurry-up pot roast.

But the recipe I like best is the one I made today. It is in the oven right now. Here is the recipe.

Sunday Supper Pot Roast

Ingredients:

bacon drippings

3 1/2 lb top round beef roast, patted dry and seasoned with salt and pepper

1 lb pearl onions, peeled

5 cloves garlic, peeled

3-4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 2" pieces

2 stalks celery

3 tbsp flour

1 cup red wine

3 tbsp tomato paste

2 bay leaves

fresh thyme

2-3 cups beef stock

1 lb small red skin potatoes

bacon drippings

2-3 yellow onions, chopped

1 lb button or brown mushrooms, quartered

Preparation:

1) Preheat oven to 350 F.

2) In a large dutch oven, heat several tablespoons of bacon drippings over medium high heat. Sear the roast on all sides, about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove roast from pan and set aside.

3) Cook pearl onions in dutch oven over medium high heat, swirling the pan as needed, until they begin to brown. Add carrots, celery, and garlic and continue to cook, swirling the pan as needed, until they brown, about three minutes.

4) Sprinkle vegetables with flour and stir to coat. Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook until flour begins to brown.

5) Add red wine and return to medium high heat. Stir to combine well. Bring liquid to a boil, then add tomato paste, thyme and bay leaf. Cook until mixture begins to thicken, about 2 minutes.

6) Return roast to dutch oven. Add beef broth and return to boil. Place potatoes around sides of roast. Cover and continue to cook in 350 F oven for about 2 hours.

7) About 30 minutes before roast is finished, saute chopped onions in a large pan until they are nicely browned. Deglaze pan with beef broth and add thyme. Simmer about 5 minutes, then remove from pan.

8) Return pan to stove and brown mushrooms in bacon drippings. Return onions to pan and heat through.

9) Remove roast from oven. Place mushrooms and onions on top of roast and let rest about 15 minutes before cutting and serving.