Typically on busy weekdays my husband and I cook quick and easy weeknight meals that involve minimal prep work, but when the weekend rolls around, sometimes I like to impress him and my family and make a slow cooked hearty dish. I have been craving pot roast since the winter has started. My mother always cooked roasts when we were little kids, with a side of roasted veg and horseradish on the side, of course. This weekend I made a chuck roast that was prepped in about 30 minutes, and tasted like I was in the kitchen all day. Chuck roast is a cut of meat that is extremely cost effective as well, so you’ll impress your guests without breaking the bank. Place it into the oven and do your errands for the day. An incredible meal will be waiting for you. 

You will need: 

salt/pepper 

Mushroom powder (if you have)

2 tsp fennel seed 

3-4 lb chuck roast (tied on side)

10 large shallots peeled and halved

8 cloves garlic peeled and smashed

1 cup dry sherry

2 cups low sodium beef broth

5 sprigs fresh thyme

2 bay leaves

2 sprigs fresh rosemary 

2 tbsp soft unsalted butter

3 tbsp flour 

1 tsp sherry vinegar 

Prepared horseradish for serving

I always purchase Momofuku’s savory salt for seasoning meats. It has mushroom powder already mixed in with salt and pepper and is truly the best for cooking beef. You will not regret purchasing this. If you don’t own savory salt, you’ll want to season your chuck roast on the outsides with salt, pepper, fennel seed, and mushroom powder (if you have any). Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. 

Coat the bottom of a large dutch oven and heat over medium heat until hot. Add in your roast and sear on all sides until deep golden, about 5 minutes per side (don’t forget to get the edges of the roast!) Adjust your heat as needed so the bottom bits in the pan like your fennel seed isn’t burning. 

Remove your meat from the pot and put in your halved shallots, cut side down, and sear for about 2 minutes until they get a nice carmelization. Add in your smashed garlic cloves and cook 1 minute longer. Deglaze your pan with sherry and scrape up your browned bits that are full of flavor. You aren’t looking to reduce any alcohol. Add in your beef broth, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves. I did not have twine to wrap the herbs into a bundle (you should if you have some!) I placed them all together so they are easy to get out of the pot later on. Bring to a simmer and add the pot roast back in. You want to nestle your roast in between all the shallots and garlic, and the liquid should come up about half way up the side of the meat (if it doesn’t, add more broth).  

Cover and bake for 3-4 hours until fork tender. (My chuck roast was 3 lbs and I cooked it for about 3 hours.)

Transfer your meat from the pot to a platter and remove the twine. Discard your herbs from the pot. 

Blend everything in the pot to a nice smooth sauce. I added it into my blender but let it cool! The steam will need a way to escape and may explode on you if you blend this liquid while it is still super hot. Add the blended liquid back into your pan and let it simmer. 

Mix your butter and flour until smooth. This is going to be a thickening agent in your gravy. Add in the flour and butter mixture to your simmering sauce and whisk until slightly thickened. Stir in sherry vinegar and season to taste with black pepper and salt as needed. Top your roast with some of the shallot and sherry sauce, and serve remaining gravy on the side. I ate this with mashed potatoes and my grandfather’s green bean salad on the side. This is a heavy dish, so some acidic sides would pair really nicely! Have a wonderful holiday.