I so enjoy when I come home from work, open the door and I am greeted with the aroma of a beef roast waiting for me to devour. And I know it will be tender because it has been simmering all day long!
That meal is so comforting and satisfying; I often make the meal for family too.
I always use my crock pot for this meal, ALWAYS, I seem to have more success with the beef being tender. I don’t have a particular type of beef to use either, I choose whatever looks good to me at the market or whatever might be on sale.
A lot of people swear that you must sear the beef first; I typically do not have the time to sear the beef, which is why I use my crock pot. I have seared the beef a few times but as a time saver I do not. I can’t say I notice a difference in the taste when I have seared it.
Into the pot goes the beef. I like to add 2 medium onion cut into quarters, red skinned potatoes, and carrots. I don’t use the bagged mini carrots, since this cooks all day in the crock pot so I go for the regular big carrots. Ya know, the carrots that Bugs Bunny likes to munch on!
I pour in about 2 cartons (-/+) of beef stock, as long as the roast and veggies are covered but I also make sure it won’t cook over. This really depends on the size of your crockpot, the size of the beef and how many veggies you use. I really just eyeball everything. That said, the beef stock gets poured in last.
Beef consume can also be used, but then I only use about 1 carton for the beef stock and then add a little water to help even out the taste.
So, either use about 2 cartons of beef stock OR 1 carton of beef stock, 1 can of beef consume and finish with water to finish. The consume has a little bit more concentrated flavor. Beef broth can be used in replacement of the stock. You can play around with the both to see what you like and don’t like. But honestly, the beef stock has enough flavor.
I sometimes add about 1 cup to 1-1/2 cups of a good red wine, use what you like or omit. Totally optional! The alcohol will cook off so no worries if you serving this to the kiddos, the wine just heightens the taste but again, totally optional.
Parsnips are good for this recipe too.
I love adding tomato paste, about ¼ cup or so. To make sure the paste blends in well I put it in a bowl and then add a little of the stock until blended well and then pour into the crock pot. I season with salt and pepper, and add a sprig of thyme and rosemary. I sometimes add a bay leave too. These herbs go well with this meal to give it a little more punch of taste.
I turn the crockpot to high and let it cook while I’m at work, about 8 hours. My pot has a setting where it will stop cooking and simmer until I get home.
For this particular recipe today, I pulled some leftovers from the freezer. The last time I made this meal, I had a lot of beef and broth left over so I popped it in the freezer. I did not freeze any of the veggies.
After thawing, I put the broth and beef in a large pot and added baby carrots and heated over medium low heat until the carrots were just fork tender. I also added fresh sprigs of rosemary and thyme. While that was simmering I put red skinned potatoes in the microwave and cooked until I could easily pierce with a fork. Then I smashed the potatoes, adding some milk, butter, salt and pepper, and a hint of garlic and dill. You could also use cream or half and half.
Just before serving, I took a couple of spoonful’s of the broth out of the pot and transferred it to a jar with flour so that I could thicken the broth. This is typically how I make my gravy, it’s how my Mom taught me. I never measure so my suggestion is to start with about 2-3 tablespoons of flour in the jar, add about 4-5 tablespoons of the hot broth, put the lid on and give a little shake to blend. You may need to adjust the broth to the flour, just make sure it’s pourable and not a glob!! Be careful, it’s hot! You can also use a cornstarch slurry in place of the flour. Then, slowly pour the flour mixture, a little at a time, into the beef and broth. Stir to make sure it is blended and let it simmer for a few minutes. It will thicken as it cooks. Just eyeball it and slowly add more if you need to. You are not looking to make it thick like gravy, you just want the broth thickened.
Then just serve over the potatoes and enjoy! This is so delicious and hearty.
Kartwheels in the Kitchen 