Mushroom and Garlic Pot Roast

I affectionately refer to this as "My Favorite Pot Roast."But don't tell the other pot roasts I said that!

Truth be told, my favorite pot roast is always whatever pot roast is piled on the plate in front of me, regardless of the form it takes.

Sometimes I make a whole pot roast just so I can make it into sandwiches!

As with all pot roasts, this one just takes a little bit of preparation. Then it sits in the oven and does its own magic without any sort of intervention... so cooks and countrygirls and other busy folks can get stuff done while it is cooking.

Pat the meat dry and sprinkle some salt and pepper on it.I always use coarse salt and a pepper grinder when I season the meat. It makes me feel fancy.

Smash and peel some garlic cloves.I leave small ones whole but I cut larger ones in half. (The garlic simmers and turns so sweet and delicious while cooking.)Slice up a large onion.And brush the dirt off of a whole bunch of mushrooms.I didn't grow these mushrooms! I got them at the getting place.I would leave small mushrooms whole but these were giants so I quartered them.

Then I pull a frozen sprig of rosemary out of the freezer.In the summer, when herbs are at their peak, I cut, vacuum pack, and freeze some sprigs of different herbs to use in soups, stews, and roasts the rest of the year. This works great... they add flavor to things just like fresh herbs would and they take up only the tiniest bit of freezer space.

I get the wine and chicken broth ready...I heat some olive oil in my roasting pot and sear the meat a few minutes on each side so that it browns a bit. Then I remove the meat and stir the onions around in the pot for a couple of minutes.

Then I remove the onions, too. The bottom of the pot looks brown and burnt by now... but then I pour in the wine and it helps to release all those delicious brown bits from the pot.

Then I add the broth, some seasonings, and put the meat and onions back in the pot. I also add the herb to the pot.I dump the mushrooms on top and grind a bit of black pepper (and throw a bit more salt) over them.Then I put this in the oven for a long time. It makes the house smell so good...

I like to ladle the hot roast (and the delicious broth it makes) over a pile of mashed potatoes but this time I lost track of time and didn't have the potatoes ready.

I couldn't wait. The house smelled so good and I wanted to eat some right away. No potatoes, no photos, and no napkin. I just ate a big bowl of it.

And then I ate another one.

After a couple of helpings I didn't even miss the potatoes (or the napkin).

But look! There was still plenty left for making sandwiches the next day!MUSHROOM AND GARLIC POT ROAST

a 2-3 pound cut of roasting beef
salt, pepper
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups sliced onion
1/2 cup red wine
1 pint chicken broth
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
a whole lot of whole or halved garlic cloves, slightly smashed
a sprig of herb (I used rosemary this time)
8 cups whole, quartered, or sliced mushrooms
more salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Pat meat dry and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Heat oil in dutch oven over high heat on stove top. Sear meat 3-4 minutes on each side to make it nicely browned and flavorful, then remove it from pan. Add sliced onions to pot and stir them around until they are slightly softened and have a tinge of tan color, but be careful not to burn them. Then remove onions from the pot, too. Turn off heat and immediately pour in wine to deglaze pan. Add chicken broth. Add worchestershire and liquid smoke. Return meat and onions to pot and add garlic. Place sprig of herb into pot. Add mushrooms. Sprinkle with more salt and pepper. Put lid on dutch oven and place pot in oven. Cook for at least an hour per pound of meat, plus probably one extra hour. It could take even longer, depending on the shape of the meat. A thin cut of beef will cook and get tender much faster than a thick wedge... but the house will smell glorious the whole time this is cooking.

Blue Monday Pot Roast

Everyone has an occasional blue day. It happens to all of us. It sometimes even happens to good natured countrygirls. Yes, it's true. We get blue, too.

According to some bean counters, a lot of folks have the blues today. They say that January 17th is the saddest day of 2011.

Others say the saddest day of 2011 is next Monday, January 24th.

This countrygirl thinks a case could be made for any Monday in January being the saddest day of the year. and I think there are others who might come on board with that observance.

Luckily, I have a remedy for sad January days... Blue Monday Pot Roast.

It's simple. It's delicious. And it makes the house smell really good. The aroma itself might lift your heart and pull you through the blues.

This is comfort food, homegrown comfort food, using ingredients that are readily available in January.

I leave my brussels sprouts in the garden through winter, breaking frozen sprouts off the stems of the plant when I want to eat them. Believe it or not, they are extra sweet and tasty this way. Parsnips can be dug in the fall and stored in buckets of dirt just like carrots. Herbs can be vacuum packed in individual bags and stored in the freezer for a very long time. And I've found that even if you don't raise your own cattle, you can sometimes make a nice trade with a friend, bales of hay in exchange for some home raised beef. Win. Win.

So the next time you're feeling the January blues, try this...BLUE MONDAY POT ROAST
(Adjust amounts and ingredients to your own tastes and what you have available.)

3 pound cut of roasting beef
black pepper
coarse salt
1 cup chopped onion
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup red wine
a splash of liquid smoke
a splash of worcestershire sauce
2-3 cups chicken stock
1 sprig rosemary (or herb of your choice)
6-8 cloves of peeled whole garlic
2 cups brussels sprouts. cut in half, if desired
2 cups chopped parsnips
2 cups chopped carrots
4-6 frozen roma tomatoes
additional black pepper and salt

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Pat meat dry and sprinkle liberally with pepper and coarse salt. Set aside. On stove top, heat olive oil in large (5-7 quart sized) dutch oven style pot and add onions. Cook onions, stirring occasionally, over medium heat for about 10 minutes, until they start to soften and even have a few brown spots on them. Remove onions and set aside. Increase heat to high so oil is very hot and brown each side of roast for 3-4 minutes. You want some seared looking spots on the meat. Remove meat and set aside. Add wine and deglaze bottom of pot, gently scraping up the brownish bits. Add a couple cups of chicken stock, a splash of liquid smoke and a splash of worcestershire sauce. Turn off stove burner. Put beef back in pot and add additional chicken stock, if necessary, so that meat is about half deep in stock. Dump browned onions back in. Push sprig of rosemary down into liquid. Add garlic, brussels sprouts, parsnips, and carrots. Place frozen romas on top. Sprinkle with additional salt and pepper (watch amounts of salt and pepper if using salted chicken stock). Cover pot, place in oven, and cook about 3 hours (1 hour per pound of meat at 300 degrees).

For some true comfort, serve with mashed potatoes (special occasion mashed potato recipe here) or buttermilk biscuits.