Yankee Pot Roast

There’s something immensely reassuring about taking big, cheap, tough cuts of meat, and turning them into a Yankee Pot roast that is the perfect for a Sunday supper. 

Ingredients:

1 beef chuck pot roast (3½ pounds)
3 medium baking potatoes, unpeeled or peeled and cut into quarters
4 large carrots, cut into ¾-inch slices
2 ribs celery, cut into ¾-inch slices
1 large onion, sliced
1 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves
½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
½ cup Swans Beef Broth

Sea Salt and Pepper

2 tablespoons Olive Oil

Directions:

Trim excess fat from meat but leaving a small amount of fat for flavoring, and discard the rest. 

Cut pot roast into 1/2 -inch pieces; sprinkle with sea salt and pepper.

In a skillet add olive oil and the pot roast pieces and brown meat using medium heat.

Combine vegetables, bay leaves, rosemary and thyme in crock pot.

Place beef over vegetables in crock pot. Pour broth over beef.

Cover and cook on low 8 to 9 hours or until beef is fork-tender.

Remove and discard bay leaf and serve.

Easy Beef Burgundy

A little bacon, garlic, and onion turns an inexpensive piece of meat into a crock pot and at the end of the day you will have a crowd pleaser.

Ingredients:

1 (5-pound) boneless beef chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 1-inch chunks
Sea Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 ounces bacon (about 4 slices), minced
3 onions, minced
4 carrots, peeled and slice into 1/2-inch chunks
¼ cup tomato paste
7 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme 
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
2½ cups Pinot Noir
1½ cups  Swans Chicken Broth, plus extra as needed
⅓ cup soy sauce
1 bay leaves
2 cups frozen pearl onions
½ cup water
3 tablespoons salted butter
2 teaspoons sugar
1 pound small Portabella mushrooms, trimmed and halved

Directions:

Pat dry beef with paper towels and season with sea salt and pepper. Place half of beef in slow cooker. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown remaining beef well on all sides, 7 to 10 minutes; transfer to crock pot.

In skillet over medium-high heat cook bacon until crisp, about 5 minutes. Stir in onions, carrots, tomato paste, garlic, and thyme and cook until onions are softened and lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in 1¼ cups wine, scraping up any browned bits and smoothing out any lumps; transfer to crock pot.

Mix in a small bowl broth, soy sauce, and bay leaf and pour into crock pot. Cover and cook until beef is tender, 9 to 11 hours on low or 5 to 7 hours on high.

About 20 minutes before serving, bring frozen pearl onions, water, butter, and sugar to boil in 12-inch skillet. Reduce to simmer, cover, and cook until onions are fully thawed and tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Uncover, bring to a boil, and cook until all liquid evaporates, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in mushrooms and cook until vegetables are browned and glazed, 8 to 12 minutes; transfer to crock pot.

Add remaining 1¼ cups wine to skillet and simmer until it has reduced by half, 6 to 8 minutes; transfer to crock pot. et stew settle for 5 minutes, then remove fat from surface using large spoon. Discard bay leaves. (Adjust stew consistency with additional hot broth as needed.) Season with sea salt and pepper to taste and serve.