When Sophia was an infant, my mom bought me a Crock-Pot, knowing as all moms know that the easiest time of day to get anything done in the kitchen is mid-morning, particularly once your baby graduates from the sleeping-around-the-clock stage. Joseph is four months old now, so it seems a fitting time to dust off the old slow cooker. And, because Ben swears he doesn’t like beef, I decided to start with a wonderful pot roast recipe. Call me a sadist, but I secretly love serving him beef dishes I know he’ll enjoy. Here’s what I love about this recipe: the meat gets fall-apart tender, the gravy is delicious, and, if you leave the carrots and celery in large enough chunks, they're still intact and scrumptious after hours in the slow cooker. It probably took 20 minutes to prep this recipe in the morning, and it filled the house with the most tempting, savory, homey smell.
Here’s where I went wrong: when given several options at the butcher, I foolishly chose the leanest pot roast they had, with really no marbling to speak of. Ergo, the roast was still a little... stringy, kind of like pulled pork. Next time I’ll pick something in the middle of the lean-to-fatty range, because I know my pot roast has been more tender in the past.
I served this with roasted Yukon Gold potatoes and a mixed green salad with Mom’s celery seed dressing. Perfect! The crispy little potato cubes are delicious dipped in the rich tomato gravy. Sophia wants mashed potatoes with it next time, but I’m not so sure. There’s something so divine about the juxtaposition of the rich, creamy sauce, the tender meat and veggies and the crispy little potato bites.
On the “not eating beef” front, Ben happily ate plates of this, so it was sufficiently delicious to push him beyond his objections. Wonderful, soothing comfort food for the end of a hectic, stressful week!
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