Here in lies the problem, however- my crock pot broke!
(insert moaning and wailing here!)
Apparently he has a mind of his own. (And yes, I may or may not have decided to call "him," a "her" if I were pleased with his performance, rather than disappointed and downright angry!) His other kitchen appliance friends must have gotten together, poked fun at him and called him the slowest kid in the hood. I can imagine him getting up extra early, working out and going running, because now he's fast.
Really fast!
There's nothing slow about him! He cooks everything in .02 seconds and leaves the dry, shriveled up remains of his fastness for me to disappointedly find after a long day of "simmering," begging the question, "If I douse this with enough gravy, could it be edible?"
The answer is usually "no." But I make my family eat it anyway. Mama already made dinner today- she's not doin' it again fool! We pick over it. Pretend we're eating. The four year old complains. We clear the dishes and opt for ice-cream.
So, I had to find a solution. I had to go where I had dared not go before. I had to make a pot roast in a pot. Well, a pan actually. And do it in the oven!
(Gasp in horror!)
Sometimes I'm afraid of that machine. It's hot in there! And I seem to dry things out faster in the oven then even Speedy Gonzales the Crock Pot can seem to accomplish.
I forged ahead anyway. Did a little research. Experimented a little. And in the end, I came up with this- my recipe for Pot Roast Perfection! Curious? Join me, won't you?
First, gather your cast of characters:
Roast (I used a 3.5 lb)
About 1 lb of Baby Red Potatoes
1 lb of carrots (I prefer a nice little bag of the baby ones, cause they're washed and you can just throw them right in)
1 yellow onion
3-5 cloves of Garlic
Kosher Salt
Dijon Mustard
Emeril's Original Essence
Next- sear that meat baby! Go ahead, slap her in a hot pan and listen to her sizzle! You just want to brown her on all sides to give her a little color and keep all those juices in as she slow cooks (and yes, she's a she, cause she's all good)! Oh- and preheat your oven to 250.
While your searing away, thick slice your onion and line the bottom of your roasting pan. You can also give your red babies a quick, rough chop, just so they are chunky pieces.
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| Aren't they pretty? Gleaming and clean. |
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| Except this one- he was green- and was sent to live with the goblins. |
Now, get your crush on and sprinkle that garlic all over your roast. You also want to, fairly liberally, sprinkle both roast and veggies with kosher salt, pepper and Emeril's Essence.
Grab your Dijon now and give it a good squirt over most of your roast. There is no real measurement here, just smother it baby!
At this point you are going to want to add one cup beef stock, and can I make a little suggestion here? Pack yourself up, head to Costco and invest in nice big jars of beef and chicken base. Sort of like boullion, but richer, and it stretches so much farther than stock for the price. Wise investment, fo' sho'!
Finally, tightly wrap your pan in aluminum foil and pop it in the oven for about 3 hours for a 3 lb roast (check it at 2 1/2 though- it should easily pull apart).
I get a little silly here and talk myself into putting the lid on too, somehow thinking it just helps seal in every last little inkling of steam, but it probably isn't necessary.
As the glorious aroma fills your home you will quickly be reassured of your success and at the end of that 3 hours your family will kiss you and call you blessed!
Which you will then, in turn, pass on to me! :-) Haha!
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| She's not glamorous, just simply delicious! |
Enjoy!
Be sure to visit my sponsor- Marmee's Bread Market- for recipes and everything else you need to easily make fresh baked goods for your family!
