Sunday Dinner-Pot Roast

A Snowy Sunday Stroll

Does anyone ever have Sunday dinner anymore?  You know the one-a picturesque family sitting down to a fabulous spread of food, everyone is smiling and passing various food platters around licking their lips with anticipation.  It sounds and looks very much like a holiday dinner but lacking the actual holiday or forced purpose to celebrate.

We used to have Sunday dinner at my grandparent's house quite often when I was a kid.  But I really don't remember any significant Sunday dinners past my teens years.  If I'm not working I love to make something that fits the idyllic Sunday dinner-like roast chicken or roast beef, and I have to admit, it doesn't happen very often.

On my quest to become a better weekly menu planner (a topic for another conversation,) I hope to adopt my Sundays (if available) to make a good ol' fashioned Sunday Dinner.  And what is even better, is that I can turn around the next day and use Sunday's leftovers as Monday's dinner (or lunch).

Tune in on Wednesday and see what happens to these Sunday Leftovers!

Sunday Pot Roast
This pot roast is AMAZING, so flavorful and cuts like "buttah."  My husband is a roast fanatic and I've made several different recipes, this one is our household favorite.

yield:  4-6 servings

• 1 (5-pound) boneless beef chuck roast
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup olive oil, divided
• 1 onion, sliced
• 6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 1 cup red wine
• 1 (15-ounce) can low-sodium beef broth, plus extra, as needed
• 4-6 carrots, cut into quarters
• One dozen cremini mushrooms
• 1 large sprig fresh rosemary, leaves removed and chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Pat the beef dry with paper towels and season with it really well with salt and pepper. In a heavy 6-quart pot or Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook until browned on all sides. Remove the beef and set aside.
3. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the remaining oil and the onions and carrots. Cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute until aromatic. Add the wine and scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Stir in the broth.
4. Return the beef to the pot and bring the liquid to a boil. Cover the pot and transfer to the oven. Cook until the beef is fork-tender, about 3 hours, turning the beef over halfway through and adding more beef broth, as needed. Add mushroom after roast has cooked 1 1/2 hours.
5. Transfer the beef to a cutting board. Tent with foil and let stand for 15 minutes. Remove carrots and mushrooms and keep warm.  Meanwhile, spoon any excess fat off the top of the pan juices. Using an immersion blender (or blender), blend the pan juices and onion until smooth. Add the rosemary. Bring sauce to a simmer and simmer for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
6. Cut the beef into 1-inch pieces and place on a platter. Spoon some of the sauce over the meat and serve the remaining sauce on the side.