"Anti-Vampire" Pot Roast

A few weeks back I made a one pot pot roast, so this time around I wanted to do something a little different. It bugs me when the vegetables in a braise get all mushy, so I decided to roast my veggies separately, sort of like Julie Child’s Beef Bourguignon. I kept some extra veggies for the braising pot to add flavor, but discarded them after they did their job.

Anti-Vampire Pot Roast

3 lbs chuck roast

3 cloves garlic, sliced into thin pieces

1 cup beer

1 quart beef stock

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

3 sprigs fresh thyme

2 bay leaves

4 carrots, divided

1 leek, halved

1 onion, sliced

3 cloves garlic

10 shallots

1 lb. mushrooms

1 cup frozen peas

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons flour

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Egg noodles

Poke holes into your roast with a paring knife and insert the slices of garlic. Salt the meat, and brown in a dutch oven over medium high, about 4 minutes per side.

While that’s going on, slice the onion, halve the leek, remove the 3 cloves of garlic from its papery-sleeve and slice 2 carrots. Once the meat is browned, remove it and add these veggies to the pot and cook over medium for 5 to 7 minutes, until softened.

Add the beer to deglaze any stuck on bits and let the liquid cook down a little, for about 3 minutes. Add the meat back in along with the stock, rosemary, thyme and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 2 to 2.5 hours.

Meanwhile, cut the remaining 2 carrots into pieces. Halve the shallots and cut up the mushrooms into chunks. Preheat your oven to 425°F. Toss the carrots with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast for 45 minutes, turning periodicaly. Toss the shallots and mushrooms with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast in the oven for 30 minutes, turning once or twice.

Once the meat has cooked, remove it from the pot, and pass the liquid through a strainer, discarding the vegetables.  Set the pot back on the stove and turn the temperature to medium. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter and add in the flour, whisking to form a roux. Cook the roux for 1 to 2 minutes, then add back in the reserved cooking liquid. Whisk and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or to your desired consistency. Cut the meat up while the gravy cooks down and add it back in the pan. Add the peas to the gravy for 2 minutes to cook through. Serve the meat, gravy and vegetables over egg noodles.