Pot roast, laden with gravy, a perfect start on local beef haul

I made a pot roast for Week 5 of the Dark Days eat-local challenge.

This is special because I have never made one before, but also because this was my very first piece of meat from my very first ¼ of a cow o

r a steer or “a beef” or whatever you want to call it, purchased from a local farmer.

Now, I know many people have made buying local bulk beef an annual routine, but it takes preparation for beginners. You need freezer space and you need to be organized with others who want to buy beef with you.

I wasn’t organized and didn’t get in on any bulk beef orders in spring or summer. Fortunately, I’ve always been able to get Thundering Hooves meats via Spud.com or neighborhood delivery.

But this is the Dark Days challenge. I wanted something from Western Washington. We have plenty of awesome beef here.

Fortunately, Annette Cottrell of Seattle, the Sustainable Eats blogger, Dark Days challenge champion, and the goddess of all foods homemade and local, helped me and nearly a dozen other people buy shares of two grass-fed cows from Prairie Springs Ranch of Skagit County.

I think I got about 10 pot roasts out of the deal, so I figured I’d better get going on those right away.

I instantly fell in love with a Cook’s illustrated recipe, as I often do.

Unlike most recipes, this one does not require the awkward step of pan searing because, based on CI tests, it doesn’t add that much flavor.

It also includes a most luxurious gravy that is made quickly and easily by pureeing the vegetables you cook with the beef, which work as a sort of thickening agent. No flour or traditional gravy making tricks are required.

Perfect.

This is especially fitting for my husband who eschews flour and carbohydrates fairly strictly.

I cooked the beef as directed, omitting the celery because that beloved celery never seems to be available during the winter around here. I also omitted the tomato paste, something I should really try to make next summer or fall because it would be so useful for this challenge.

I used Washington shallots, garlic and red wine and backyard thyme. (Is there a more useful herb than thyme?)

I had to amateurishly debone the chuck roast so I could tie it neatly into bundles as the recipe suggested. I was happy to have yet another beef bone for stock.

Instead of twine, I used heat-resistant silicone cooking bands for tying the bundles, one of my favorite things in the kitchen. They’re also ideal for trussing chicken.

I cooked a separate roasting pan of beautiful shiitake mushrooms (labeled as “Washington”) at Everett’s Sno-Isle Food Co-op, plus Eastern Washington potatoes and onions and backyard carrots and parsnips.

This recipe makes a delicious excess of gravy, about four cups in all. That’s a full gravy boat at my house and then some.

Yum!

My husband was especially pleased with the gravy, which he said we should use on other dishes.

I am so glad we have this recipe and at least nine more pot roasts to go.

Score.

Classic pot roast
(Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated)

Serves 4.

1 3 1/2- to 4-pound boneless beef chuck-eye roast, pulled into two pieces at its natural seam and trimmed of large knobs of fat (Prairie Springs Ranch of Skagit County)

Kosher salt

2 tablespoons unsalted butter (Golden Glen Creamery, Bow, Wash.) (NOTE: Golden Glen is stopping milk sales, but will continue with butter and cream.)

2 medium onions , halved and sliced thin (about 2 cups) (Washington)

1 large carrot , chopped medium (about 1 cup) (backyard)

2 medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons) (Washington)

1 cup beef broth , plus 1 to 2 cups for sauce

1/2 cup dry red wine , plus 1/4 cup for sauce (Stonecap, Columbia Valley)

1 bay leaf

1 sprig plus 1/4 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves (backyard)

Ground black pepper

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Sprinkle pieces of meat with 1 tablespoon salt (1½ teaspoons if using table salt), place on wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet, and let stand at room temperature 1 hour.

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Heat butter in heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium heat. When foaming subsides, add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add carrot; continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes longer. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in 1 cup broth, ½ cup wine, bay leaf, and thyme sprig; bring to simmer.

Pat beef dry with paper towels and season generously with pepper. Using 3 pieces of kitchen twine or silicone cooking bands, tie each piece of meat into loaf shape for even cooking.

Nestle meat on top of vegetables. Cover pot tightly with large piece of foil and cover with lid; transfer pot to oven. Cook beef until fully tender and sharp knife easily slips in and out of meat, 3½ to 4 hours, turning halfway through cooking.

Transfer roasts to cutting board and tent loosely with foil. Strain liquid through mesh strainer into 4-cup liquid measuring cup. Discard bay leaf and thyme sprig. Transfer vegetables to blender jar. Allow liquid to settle 5 minutes, then skim any fat off surface. Add beef broth as necessary to bring liquid amount to 3 cups. Place liquid in blender with vegetables and blend until smooth, about 2 minutes. Transfer sauce to medium saucepan and bring to simmer over medium heat.

While sauce heats, remove twine from roast and slice against grain into ½-inch-thick slices. Transfer meat to large serving platter. Stir chopped thyme, remaining ¼ cup wine, and vinegar into sauce and season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon half of sauce over meat; pass remaining sauce separately.

(Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated)