Pot roast. What a great Sunday dinner! I just learned, from watching Alton Brown’s show on pot roast, that a 7-blade roast is called that because the bone looks like a 7. I admit to having stayed away from them in the past because I wasn’t sure what they were and thought “7 bones” seemed like a lot! Alton’s recipe looked great but the idea of cooking in tin foil bothers me somehow. Aluminum foil these days I guess. Showing my age!

I cheated and used a can of cream of mushroom soup here, but I suspect it would have been nearly as good with just broth, water, red wine or some combination. I added a chopped rutabaga because I had one left to use up from a few days ago. Whoops! Went to link to the recipe and realized I never posted it!

This pot roast takes a few minutes of time up front to brown the meat, then you pop it in the oven for an hour or 2. Chop up the vegetables you want and add them for the last hour of cooking. Total cooking time is 2-3 hours so it’s another great company dinner because you can sit and visit that last hour while dinner’s cooking away!

2-3 pounds chuck roast (7-bone blade roast is one of several cuts that will work)
1/2 Tbs oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 onions, cut in quarters
1 can cream of mushroom soup
a few splashes of Worcestershire sauce
1 cup water or red wine or beef broth
3-4 potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 rutabaga if you have one lying around
6 carrots, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup flour
1 cup water

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or some other heavy pan that can go in the oven. Brown the chuck roast on both sides. Sprinkle with salt and pepper as you brown it. Add the onions and cook another 5 minutes or so, stirring now and then. Cover with the soup and 1 cup of water, wine, or broth. Put in the oven at 300 for 2 hours.

After two hours, prepare the other vegetables and add to the pan, then return to the oven for another hour.

When the pot roast is done, remove the meat and vegetables to a serving dish. Mix together the flour and water, then stir into the liquid on the stove top. Bring to a simmer and cook a few minutes, stirring constantly. Serve this gravy in a gravy boat or just pour over the meat and vegetables if you’d rather.

Goes great with a loaf of French bread!