Classic Pot Roast with Garlic Thyme Gravy and Mashed Potatoes with Peas

This was a winner of a dinner. I love comfort food. I love making my husband and children swoon over dinners I make. It just makes me so happy. This recipe makes a delicious, tender roast with a sauce that is complex and rich in color. I love the garlic and thyme in this gravy! Be sure to sear the meat before you put it in the crock pot. Don't skip steps and you will be so happy with the results.

I found this recipe from a free mailing publication I received a long time ago called Cuisine at Home. I put the booklet aside with the page for the recipe dog-eared. I am glad that I finally made this roast. It's definitely going to be a regular part of the Hirano Family Cookbook my kids want me to compile (in my spare time, haha).

Bon Appetit!

Classic Pot Roast with Garlic-Thyme Gravy

Boneless beef chuck roast is ideal for this recipe; the tough meat becomes tender and succulent when cooked with moisture for a long time. Trim away as much fat as possible to keep the sauce from becoming greasy.

Serves 6
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: Recipe calls for 4-5 hours (high heat) or 8-9 hours (low heat). My way: 3 hours (high heat) followed by 2-3 hours (low heat)

3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 boneless chuck roast, trimmed, seasoned generously with salt and pepper (3-4 lb.)
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1/2 cup dry white whine (I used white cooking wine)
1 1/2 cups low-sodium beef broth
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 cups sliced onions
6 medium carrots cut into 2-3 inch pieces (I used baby carrots sliced lengthwise)
3-4 large celery ribs, cut into 2-3 inch pieces
6 cloves garlic, chopped
3-4 sprigs, fresh thyme
2 bay leaves

Heat oil in dutch oven or saute pan over medium-high. Sear seasoned, trimmed roast on all sides, 10 minutes total. Transfer roast to a 4 to 6 qt. slow cooker.

Stir flour into same dutch oven or saute pan. Cook one minute. Add tomato paste and cook 1 minute more.

Deglaze pan with wine, cooking until liquid evaporates. Stir in broth and Worcestershire; bring mixture to a simmer, scraping up any brown bits.

Transfer broth mixture to the slow cooker; add onions, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme and bay leaves. Cover and cook until meat is fork tender. I cooked mine on high for 3 hours then turned to low for 2-3 hours (3 lb roast). When I went to put it on low, I took the roast out and started to shred it up some with two forks. I transferred the roast back for the low setting portion. When I checked a couple hours later, I liked the perfect doneness and turned the crock pot to the warm setting until we were ready to eat.

Nutritional info: 427 cal; 15g total fat (4g sat); 100 mg chol; 251mg sodium; 15g carb; 2g fiber; 53g protein

Mashed Potatoes with Peas

Russet potatoes are excellent in this dish, but any potato works in a pinch.

Makes 6 servings; Total time: 20 minutes

2 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks
1/2 cup milk, warmed
1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
Salt and pepper to taste
Minced chives (or tops of green onions)

Boil potatoes in a pot of salted water until tender, about 12-15 minutes; drain. Return potatoes to pot; cook, stirring carefully, over low heat for 1 minute to remove moisture. Mash potatoes (Or use a ricer like I did. Awesome tool!) until smooth.

Stir in milk, butter, peas, salt and pepper; serve immediately topped with chives or green onion tops.

Nutritional info: 220 cal; 8g total fat (5 g sat); 22 mg chol; 58mg sodium; 32g carb; 4g fiber; 6g protein

Rigatoni with Tomato-Ricotta Sauce

This is my first post for my new blog and I am so excited! I can't wait to share my food exploits with you, my readers and friends. Plus, I am hoping to get my recipes organized for my kids. They both want a recipe book for a Christmas gift. Great, right?! Both of my children love to cook and experiment with flavors in the kitchen. Looks like my food loving genes passed on to them.

I love food. I have always wrapped happy memories in with what was eaten during them. Birthday dinners and desserts, holiday food, good eats out with friends, places I have eaten with my husband during dates, and family dinners around the table enjoying those I love. Food is love. Food feeds us and brings us together. I love that.

For my first recipe, I will start with the most recent dinner I prepared for my family. It was a hit and I hope that you will try it and let me know what you think. I had large rigatoni, ricotta and basil on hand and wanted to find a great pasta dish. Good ol' Google never disappoints. I found this recipe from the Chicago Tribune. I changed it some - doubling it in order for leftovers and instead of cherry tomatoes, I sliced up fresh, vine ripened tomatoes.

Daniel and Lily gave this recipe an 8 out of 10. It's a nice vegetarian dish. I am thinking that if I add meat to the recipe, a mix of sweet and hot italian sausage would be a wonderful addition to this recipe.

If you try it, let me know what you think! Happy Cooking (and eating!!) -Ann

Rigatoni with Tomato-Ricotta Sauce

Servings: 8

1 pound rigatoni
3 large tomatoes, sliced
2 onions, sliced
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
Freshly ground pepper
15 oz carton, part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Heat a pan of salted water to a boil; heat the broiler. Cook pasta according to package direction.

Place tomatoes and onion on a foil-lined, broiler-safe pan; drizzle on the oil, and add the Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to taste. Broil until tomatoes have curled and softened and onions are golden, 3-5 minutes. Remove pan from broiler; set aside.

Drain pasta, reserving about 1/2 cup of the hot water. Stir the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, into the ricotta until it reaches desired creamy texture. Place pasta in large bowl; toss with tomato-onion mixture. Add ricotta and basil, stirring just to combine. Add balsalmic vinegar; toss. Serve warm.