Beefstewed For Great Flavor, Pot Roast With Tender Vegetables Is Hard To Beat

You can’t keep pot roast a secret. It simmers slowly, creating delectable juices - a gentle blend of beef, vegetables, herbs and broth. Alluring aromas manage to escape around the edges of the tightly closed pot. They waft through the house, announcing that the king of comfort food is braising.

The moist, low-temperature cooking method known as braising creates a one-pot meal that’s good enough for company. It makes tough, fibrous cuts - such as chuck, rump, bottom round and brisket - succulent and fork-tender.

Newport Beach, Calif., restaurant owner Hans Prager uses a triangle tip roast (a small muscle from the bottom sirloin) for his popular Yankee Tavern Pot Roast.

In his version, a head of unpeeled garlic and roughly chopped vegetables flavor the meat and broth while cooking, but the vegetables and garlic are strained and discarded when making the final, flavor-packed sauce.

If you’ve vowed to eat less meat and more vegetables, there’s no need to cross off pot roast. Just eat a smaller portion of meat and smother it with a mountain of juicy, herb-scented vegetables.

Adapt pot roast recipes to use double or triple amounts of vegetables. The vegetables can be cooked the traditional way, adding them to the meat-broth mixture 20-45 minutes before the end of cooking, depending on their size and density.

In addition to whole vegetables added toward the end, I like to cook the meat with plenty of finely minced vegetables - carrots, garlic and onion. They melt into the sauce and give the meat a luscious taste.

Or, as Chicago Tribune food writer Pat Dailey suggests in her new book, “One Pot Sunday Suppers” (HarperCollins), caramelize large portions of vegetables and remove them from the pot before adding meat.

To caramelize the veggies, cook them in a little oil until beautifully browned. Add a little broth and maybe a pinch of sugar; cover and cook until they begin to soften, about 7 minutes. Remove them and cook meat slowly with onions and carrots, then add loads of caramelized veggies to the pot the last 10 minutes of cooking.

“I love the tender, juicy meat,” says Dailey, “but I like the vegetables just as much - if not more. Cook as many vegetables as you like, and that the pot will hold comfortably. They never seem to go to waste.”

Whether you caramelize them first, or simply add them raw toward the end of braising, you can vary the vegetables according to their availability and your preferences. Dailey suggests onions, carrots, rutabagas and Brussels sprouts in her recipe.

“But if you prefer, substitute other vegetables,” she says, “except maybe red cabbage or daikon (a large, white Japanese radish). They might be a little strange.”

So if you like small red new potatoes, red bell peppers and zucchini - or celery, leeks and butternut squash - give them a try. Use the following general braising tips as guidelines:

Pat meat dry with paper towels before browning. Season with salt and pepper.

If you want a thickened sauce, either dust meat lightly with flour before browning, or, after browning meat, remove it and make a roux (a mixture of flour and fat) and cook it for a minute or two. If it browns slightly, it will give the sauce a nice color.

For better browning of meat, heat oil in pot before adding meat. Never char the meat; it will give the sauce a bitter taste. Turn frequently when browning.

Choose a pot with a tight-fitting lid.

If braising on the stove, reduce heat to low or medium-low, so the liquid is barely simmering.

If braising in the oven, use a setting of 300-350 degrees, so the liquid is barely simmering. Because the heat surrounds the pot in the oven, oven braising gives more even cooking than stove-top.

Hans Prager’s Yankee Tavern Pot Roast

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 triangle tip roast

Salt and pepper to taste

1 large onion, roughly chopped

3 carrots, trimmed and roughly chopped

2 stalks celery, trimmed and roughly chopped

1 whole head of garlic, unpeeled, cut horizontally to expose cloves

6 bay leaves

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon dried thyme

4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 small can tomato paste

About 4 cups beef broth (amount will vary depending on size of pan)

Lawry’s Seasoned Salt and Kitchen Bouquet, optional

1 tablespoon arrowroot or cornstarch

2 tablespoons dry red wine, such as burgundy

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large flameproof casserole, heat oil over medium-high heat. Pat meat dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Brown meat on all sides.

Remove meat, leaving juices in pan. Add onion, carrots, celery, garlic, bay leaves, pepper and thyme. Reduce heat to low and cover. Cook vegetables covered on low heat for about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add flour and stir until roux (mixture of flour and fat) is slightly browned. Stir in tomato paste.

Return meat to pan and add enough broth to just cover the meat. Bring to boil on top of stove. Cover and place in preheated 350-degree oven. Simmer until fork-tender, about 1-1/2 hours.

Remove meat. Strain sauce and discard the contents of strainer. Place sauce in a pan and simmer slowly; the fat will rise to the top. Skim off fat. Adjust seasoning, adding salt and pepper if needed, or a little Lawry’s Seasoned Salt. For added color, add a little Kitchen Bouquet.

If sauce needs further thickening, combine arrowroot or cornstarch with wine in a small bowl; stir until dissolved. Stir mixture into sauce. Cook 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. If you want the sauce thicker still, repeat.

For presentation, slice meat and top with sauce. Serve with noodles, mashed potatoes, potato pancakes or barley.

Yield: 8 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 497 calories, 27.7 grams fat (50 percent fat calories), 124 milligrams cholesterol, 355 milligrams sodium.

Reality Pot Roast

3 to 4 pounds boneless chuck roast

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 medium carrot, finely chopped

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup water

1 cup veal stock or beef broth (see note)

1 cup dry red wine (see note)

Leaves from 4 sprigs of fresh thyme

2 bay leaves

2 cups pearl onions, blanched and peeled or 1 (10-ounce) bag frozen pearl onions or “petite whole onions” (see note)

18 baby carrots, peeled and trimmed (or use ready-to-eat small carrots in a bag)

6 stalks celery, cut into 2- by 1/2-inch pieces

2 medium turnips, peeled and cut into 2- by 3/4-inch pieces

3 tablespoons minced parsley for garnish

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Pat meat dry with paper towels. Season meat with freshly ground pepper and lightly with salt (see note). Place a deep, heavy flameproof casserole or Dutch oven (with a tight-fitting lid) on medium-high heat. Heat oil. Add meat. Rotate to brown on all sides.

Remove meat and add garlic, onion and minced carrot to pan; cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until onion is softened and starting to turn brown.

Add flour and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Increase heat to high; gradually stir in water, stock and wine. Bring to boil; add thyme and bay leaves.

Return meat to pan. Cover and place in preheated 325-degree oven for 1 hour.

Remove cover and turn meat over. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes (the sauce should bubble gently; lower heat if the liquid is boiling rapidly). After 30 minutes, turn meat and add a little water if sauce is getting too thick; cook another 30 minutes, uncovered.

Add all remaining ingredients, except garnish. Cook 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Remove vegetables with a slotted spoon and set aside. Discard bay leaves. If sauce is too thin, place on high heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.

For presentation, slice meat into -inch slices (you’ll have approximately 10 slices). Overlap slices of roast on platter. Arrange vegetables around meat. Garnish with minced parsley and serve.

If cooked in advance for next-day serving, use a noncorrosive pan such as stainless steel or enameled cast-iron. Refrigerate overnight and skim off and discard any congealed fat. For best reheating results, bring to room temperature; add about 1/2cup beef broth, stir, cover and place in a 325-degree oven until heated. Check to make sure there’s enough liquid; add a little water if needed.

Yield: 10 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 522 calories, 27.7 grams fat (48 percent fat calories), 168 milligrams cholesterol, 352 milligrams sodium.

Note: Be careful not to oversalt the meat if using canned beef broth. Use dry red wine that is at least 12.5 percent alcohol; if it has a lower percentage, the sauce will be a grayish color. To blanch fresh pearl onions, submerge in boiling water for 10 minutes. Drain and peel.

As leftovers, thinly sliced cold pot roast makes delicious sandwiches. Or serve sliced cold pot roast with horseradish or whole-grain mustard on the side and a green salad with a simple oil and vinegar dressing. Leftover veggies and gravy can be heated and served over cooked rice or pasta.

Pot Roast with Caramelized Vegetables From “One Pot Sunday Suppers” by Pat Dailey (HarperCollins Publishers).

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided use

1/2 teaspoon salt, divided use

1/2 medium rutabaga, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

1 large onion, halved crosswise and cut into 1/2-inch wedges, divided use

4 medium carrots, peeled and diagonally sliced 1 inch thick, divided use

1-1/2 cups Brussels sprouts, halved

2 cups beef stock or reduced-sodium canned broth, divided use

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 boneless beef chuck pot roast (about 2 pounds), patted dry

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 bay leaves

2 whole allspice berries

1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

Freshly ground pepper

In a large flameproof casserole, heat 1 tablespoon oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt over high heat. Add rutabaga and about 1/2 of the onion. Add the equivalent of 3 carrots and all of the Brussels sprouts. Cook, stirring and shaking pan, until vegetables begin to brown, 3-4 minutes. Cover, reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, 5 minutes longer.

Add 1/2 cup of beef stock and sugar. Cover and cook until rutabaga begins to soften, 7-10 minutes.

Remove vegetables and any remaining stock to a bowl; set aside.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Return pan to high heat and add remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Add meat and cook, turning occasionally, until meat is browned on both sides, 7-10 minutes, adding remaining onion and carrot after 5 minutes.

Add remaining beef stock, salt, tomato paste, bay leaves, allspice berries and thyme. Bring to boil.

Cover pan and transfer to oven. Bake until meat is tender, about 1-1/2 hours.

Skim fat from top of pan juices. Add reserved vegetables, stirring them so they are well coated with juices. Bake just until the vegetables are hot, 10 minutes longer. Season with pepper to taste.

Yield: 6 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 510 calories, 28 grams fat (49 percent fat calories), 160 milligrams cholesterol, 355 milligrams sodium.