Julia Child was quoted as saying, “Once you have mastered a technique, you hardly need look at a recipe again.” The technique for cooking tough cuts of meat is braising: the meat is seared until dark brown for flavor, then removed from the pot. Aromatics such as herbs and vegetables are cooked in the same pot in a small amount of the remaining fat. The pan is subsequently deglazed with liquid to help remove any brown bits of flavor from the bottom of the pan, then the meat is returned and liquid is added to come up to the meat’s “shoulders.” Pot roast is a classic braised dish.

　　

Ingredients

serves 4 to 6

　　3 tablespoons canola oil

　　1 (4-pound) boneless chuck roast or rump roast

　　3 medium onions, preferably Vidalia, thickly sliced

　　1 cup dry red wine

　　2 tablespoons Hungarian paprika

　　2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

　　1 bay leaf, preferably fresh

　　4 cloves garlic, crushed

　　3 cups beef stock (page 227) or low-fat, reduced-sodium beef broth, plus more if needed

　　2 pounds new potatoes, scrubbed

　　6 carrots, cut into 1 1/2-inch-thick pieces

　　Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 300°F. To cook the roast, in a large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven, heat the oil over high heat. Sear the meat until it’s a rich, dark brown on both sides, 8 to 10 minutes total. Remove to a plate.

　　

Step 2

Decrease the heat to medium, add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until a deep, golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the wine and cook, stirring to loosen any brown bits. Add the paprika, thyme, bay leaf, and garlic. Stir to combine and cook until fragrant, 45 to 60 seconds. Return the seared roast to the pan. Add the stock and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover and bake for 1 hour.

　　

Step 3

Remove from the oven and turn the roast in the liquid to moisten. Add the potatoes and carrots, cover, and bake an additional 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until both the meat and vegetables are tender.

　　

Step 4

Transfer the roast to a warm platter. Using a slotted spoon, place the vegetables around the roast. Cover the platter loosely with aluminum foil to keep warm. Remove the bay leaf from the sauce and discard. If the sauce is too thin, bring it to a boil over high heat to reduce and thicken. If the sauce is too thick, add a little wine or stock to achieve the correct consistency. Taste the sauce and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper.

　　

Step 5

To serve, slice the roast against the grain, and spoon the sauce over the roast and vegetables.

　　From Bon Appétit, Y’all: Recipes and Stories From Three Generations of Southern Cooking, © 2008 by Virginia Willis. Reprinted by permission of Ten Speed Press. Buy the full book from Amazon or Abe Books.