Pot Roast with Gravy
Do you get confused by the different terms for meat at the store and which cut you want for which type of cooking? Check out The Cook's Thesaurus pages on the different cuts. It's very helpful!
2-3 pound chuck roast (e.g. a boneless cross rib roast, blade roast, bottom round, 7-blade, or rump roast)
1 Tbs oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 onions, quartered
1 15 ounce can cream of mushroom soup (or make make your own cream of soup)
1 can of red wine
1-2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
6 carrots, peeled and cut in 1" chunks
3-4 potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 rutabaga (optional)
1/4 cup flour
1 cup water
Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or a sturdy pan that can go in the oven and has a lid. Trim what fat you can from the roast. Salt and pepper it all over, then put in the pan. Cook at least 5 minutes on a side to brown it good. Turn and do the same thing. If it's more 3-sided than 2, brown the 3rd side as well.
Remove the roast and add the onions. If the pan is fairly dry, add a bit more oil first. Cook the onions 5-10 minutes, until soft and translucent. Put the roast back in the pot, add the cream of mushroom soup and the can of wine. Stir in the Worcestershire. Bring to a simmer.
Cover and put in a 300 degree oven for 2 hours or so. Add the carrots, potatoes, rutabaga and any other vegetables you like with your pot roast and cook another 45 minutes to an hour. Remove from the oven and put on the stove. Take out the roast and vegetables. Mix together the flour and water and add to the juices. Bring to a simmer and cook 5 minutes or so while you slice up the roast.
