Exactly one year ago my life changed. The unexpected passing of my husband completely altered what the last 46 years of my life had been. These past twelve months have taught me much about grief, forced me to find the strength to be resilient, shifted some of my thinking and some of who I was, played havoc with my emotions, discovered joy (even if fleeting) and grief are not mutually exclusive, and tested my sense of bravery. For someone who never loved carnival rides, imagine feeling as if you are riding a roller coaster where someone forgets to let you off. For those of you who have experienced a significant loss, you know all too well that the grief journey isn't the same for everyone. Mine may be different than yours, but we are all still linked by loss. As I have shared much about my life on this blog, I thought this was important to share with you as well. Thank you for allowing me to get real with you, for trying to get comfortable living with the uncomfortable.
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In many ways this post pays homage to my husband, the meat and potatoes lover. Without a doubt he would have given this Pot Roast with Carrots and Parsnips a rating of 9.9. And why not a 10? Well mostly because he got a kick out of seeing my reaction to a 'less than 10' rating. However, there were unspoken ways of me knowing how much he loved something I made even if he held back on giving it a 10. A cleaned plate, second helpings, and no leftovers after a couple of days were the more obvious, immediate tell-tale signs. There were also more obscure signs. The sometimes spoken, sometimes unspoken ones you learn over the course of being married for forty-six years.
The recipe for this Pot Roast with Carrots and Parsnips is a mash-up of a multitude of recipes. It's one deeply layered with flavors and served with mashed potatoes. Onions, carrots and parsnips are the only vegetables used in the making of the Pot Roast. Why mashed potatoes instead of adding potatoes to the Pot Roast? First, it's a personal preference. We loved mashed potatoes in our house. Second, potatoes cooked with pot roast can sometimes get a little mealy, especially if they absorb to much liquid. And lastly, mashed potatoes not only better compliment the rich meat and sauce, but they also add an ambrosial texture to the dish.
Searing the chuck roast before it cooks for hours is an absolutely critical step to making a mouthwatering pot roast. Seasoning and dredging the roast in flour before searing is an absolutely critical step in developing a savory crust as well as aiding in the thickening of the sauce. In other words, this process adds flavor!
The liquids used in this pot roast were cognac, red wine and beef broth. Each were added in separately to optimize the flavor of both the meat and the sauce. Fresh thyme, fresh rosemary and bay leaves, a flavor trifecta, were the herbs used.
Deciding when to add the vegetables to the pot roast is a decision with consequences. Add them too early and the vegetables become mushy. Add them too late and they are under cooked. For a four-pound beef roast, adding the vegetables in after the first 90 minutes of cooking (with 2 hours left) resulted in perfectly cooked carrots and parsnips. They were flavorful and had great texture. So my recommendation is to add them at the 90 minute mark if you are making a 4 pound chuck roast. Or at the 2 hour mark if making a 5 pound roast.
Many recipes for Pot Roast will give you a recommended cooking time, however, I have found using a food thermometer is a much better way to determine doneness. For a pull-apart tender pot roast, I recommend cooking it until it reaches somewhere between 205-210 degrees (F). The meat will have a little more structure at 205 degrees and will be 'more shredable at 210 degrees. So, depending on your plans for serving it, you can decide which temperature works best for you. But I still recommend you also testing it with a fork when you get to this point to confirm its' doneness.
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With cooking the roast in only 2 cups of beef broth, you will need to another cup when making the sauce so that you have 'enough' to smother the meat and potatoes. For a smooth, thick sauce I like to make a roux with cornstarch and the hot liquid from the pan. By adding and whisking it in slowly into the pan cooking over low-medium heat on the stovetop, you should end up with a sauce resulting in a great, luscious consistency. If the sauce becomes too thick, add a little more beef stock. Whisking in a tablespoon of butter into the finished sauce makes it glisten! Don't forget to add it in!
I can honestly think of no better dish than Pot Roast with Carrots and Parsnips to serve to those you love. It's the epitome of comfort food, especially in cold weather. Because it has a long cooking time (3 1/2 to 4 hours), it's a Saturday night dinner or Sunday dinner. Served with big bowl of mashed potatoes and a salad, you have the makings of an epic meal. One that should get you accolades. Maybe you would even get a rating higher than 9.9.
If I were making this meal for my husband, the finishing touch would be the Graham Cracker Custard Pie (with or without the meringue topping) for dessert. It was the one thing his paternal grandmother made especially for him. And it remained his lifelong favorite dessert and the only thing he never played around with the rating. It was always a 10. In retrospect, I wish I had made it for him more often.
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Recipe
Pot Roast with Carrots and Parsnips
Serves 8-10
Ingredients
4-5 pound beef chuck roast, let sit out at room temperature for 30 minutes before preparing
4 teaspoons Kosher salt, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper, divided
All-purpose flour, for dredging the roast
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 large yellow onions, peeled and cut into 1/4" slices
5-6 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
3 Tablespoons tomato paste
1 Tablespoon cognac
1 cup red wine (Pinot Noir or Cabernet Sauvignon) Note: I used a Pinot Noir.
3 cups beef stock, divided
5-6 large carrots, peeled and cut diagonally into 2-3 inch pieces (see notes)
3 large parsnips, peeled and cut diagonally into 2-3 inch pieces (see notes)
2 bay leaves
6 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
2-4 Tablespoons of liquid from the pan
1 Tablespoon butter
Mashed Potatoes, for serving
Directions
1. Take the chuck roast out of the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before starting to prepare.
2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees (F).
3. Season both sides of the roast with 3 teaspoons of Kosher salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Dredge the roast in the all purpose flour.
4. In a large Dutch oven, heat 2 Tablespoons of the olive oil. Sear the roast on both sides for about 4-5 minutes per side. Remove the meat and place on baking sheet or platter.
5. Add in the onions to the pan. Cook for 5-6 minutes or until softened.
6. Add in the garlic, Cook for an additional minute.
7. Add the tomato paste. Cook for 2 minutes stirring continuously.
8. Add in the cognac. Cook for less than a minute. Note: The alcohol will cook off.
9. Add in the red wine. Cook until the wine is reduced to about 1/4 cup or less.
10. Add in 2 cups of beef stock, the thyme and rosemary (bundled together with kitchen string), the bay leaves, 1 teaspoon Kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.
11. Place the seared roast back into the Dutch oven. Put the lid on the Dutch Oven and place in the oven. Roast for 90 minutes.
12. At the 90 minute mark add in the carrots and parsnips. Cover the pot and return back to the oven. Continue cooking for another 2 hours or until the meat has reached a temperature of 205-210 degrees (F). The meat should be fork tender and ready to fall apart.
13. Place the meat and the vegetables on a platter while you make the sauce. Note: Cut the meat into slices or large chunks before adding the vegetables to the platter.
14. In a small bowl whisk together 2 Tablespoons of cornstarch and 2-4 Tablespoons of the sauce from the pan until smooth.
15. On medium-low heat add in the remaining one cup of beef stock. Heat for 3-4 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and bundle of herbs. Slowly add in the cornstarch mixture, whisking continuously until the sauce reaches the desired consistency. Then add in one tablespoon of butter to finish the sauce. (Note: The onions will have broken down considerably during the cooking process. Keep them in the pan while you make the sauce.)
16. Pour some of the sauce over the meat but put the majority of the sauce into a gravy boat.
17. Serve immediately with some homemade (or store-bought) mashed potatoes. Swoon and savor.
Notes: (1) Cooking time for a 5 pound roast may be 30 minutes longer. If you have a 5 pound roast, add in the carrots and parsnips at the 2 hour mark. (2) I use the tomato paste in a tube as it is much easier to measure and there is less waste. (3) If you don't have a full bottle of cognac, buy the small airplane sized bottles at your favorite liquor store. (4) I use Kettle and Fire Beef Broth. (5) If my carrot pieces were more than inch in diameter, I cut them half lengthwise. (6) Store any leftovers in the refrigerator. Or create individual meals in freezer proof container and freeze for up 2 months. Thaw and reheat when ready to serve.
Yellowstone and Devil's Tower (May, 2024)
It was on the trip to Yellowstone that Greg finally got his wish to see Devil's Tower.
