Amy's Tasty Pot Roast

Ingredients

•     3 pounds chuck roast
•     3 tablespoons olive oil
•     Salt and fresh ground black pepper
•     1 onion, cut into quarters and then again into eighths
•     2 sprigs fresh rosemary
•     3 sprigs fresh thyme
•     2 bay leaves
•     1 bulb of garlic, cut in half and wrapped in cheesecloth
•     2 cups of red wine
•     2 cups of low sodium beef stock
•     1 pound of baby carrots
•     2 russet potatoes, cut into large cubes
   

Instructions

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  

Step 2: Heat olive oil over high heat in a dutch oven.  Salt and pepper the chuck roast and sear on both sides.  Make sure to sear well—this will improve the flavor of your roast.  

Step 3: Remove the roast and add onion, rosemary and thyme to the dutch oven, cooking for approximately 5 minutes.  Add the wine, broth and bay leaves to deglaze the pan.  

Step 4: Add the roast back to the pan.  Cover the dutch oven, place into the oven for 2 hours.   

Step 5: Remove the dutch oven and add the carrots and potatoes to the broth.  Submerge the vegetables into the liquid as much as possible.  Put back into the oven and cook until the roast and vegetables are tender—approximately 30 minutes.   

Step 6: Remove the roast and vegetables from the dutch oven and cover with foil to maintain their temperature.  Discard the rosemary and thyme stems and the bay leaves.  Place the dutch oven on a high-heat burner and reduce the broth until it is thickened.  Be careful not to over-reduce the sauce—it will be too salty.  

Step 7: Serve the pot roast and vegetables with a watercress salad tossed with a lemon vinaigrette.