What could be better on a very cold day in January than a home cooked meal with Pot Roast.
I followed my mother's recipe and chose a lovely Bottom Round cut of meat.
This cut of meat is wedge shaped, and perfect for potting because of its flat sides.
I started by pouring few tablespoons of olive oil in the bottom of a large stainless steel pot that has its own cover.
I "browned" all sides of the meat on a high flame to seal in the juices.
An old large cooking fork makes this easy.
Next I chopped a large onion.
Each side of the meat was turned and sealed.
I took the meat out of the pot and placed it on a dish while I added the onions
to the pot. They were sauteed and turned golden brown.
The meat was then returned to the pot,
and I added around four (4) cups of water, covering the meat a bit more than half way.
Salt, ground pepper, and dry mustard were added to taste.
The pot was covered with a small crack left open, and simmered for several hours on a very low flame.
Later I peeled eight medium Yukon Gold potatoes,
and boiled them until they were cooked but not too soft.
Three large carrots were peeled and sliced.
I steamed some cut green beans.
About one half hour before I stopped cooking the meat, I added the carrots.
Later I removed the meat and carrots from the pot and poured the liquid into a measuring cup to make the gravy.
Corn starch was whisked into the liquid as a thickener.
I put this into a smaller pot and continued to whisk it over a low flame.
The potatoes were strained, mashed with a depression era potato masher,
milk and
several tablespoons of butter added,
and finally salt and ground pepper to finish.
The bottom round cut very easily
Table was set with the sliced meat, a divided oval white bowl for the potatoes and vegetables, and a white gravy boat too.
This looks a little messy, but boy did it taste really tender and good on a cold January day! Try it soon.
