Sometimes, I have an idea of what I want to prepare for dinner, but I can’t seem to find the right recipe. This was the case when I decided to make an old-fashioned pot roast, but my cookbook search failed to yield a recipe for the one I had in mind. I turned to the web and eventually found one that met most of my expectations as far as cooking method (oven braise) and ingredients, albeit with some modifications (fresh thyme for dried Italian seasoning, creamer potatoes for Yukon Golds, and the addition of celery).

I found the original recipe, Sunday Pot Roast, on Natasha Bull’s Salt and Lavender blog and, after scanning through reader comments, some of which influenced the changes I made to it, I decided to forge ahead. It yielded a truly delicious dish. The beef was perfectly cooked and succulent; after three and a half hours of cooking at 275°F, the aromatics, herbs, wine and stock melded beautifully with the meaty flavors of the beef. The potatoes were flawlessly cooked, creamy and ready to absorb the velvety sauce.

Sunday Pot Roast (adapted from a recipe by Natasha Bull on Salt and Lavender)

Ingredients:

3- to 4-pound beef chuck roast
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 large onion sliced
4 cloves garlic minced
1 cup full-bodied red wine
2 cups beef broth
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
3 sprigs fresh thyme
4 large carrots peeled, cut into 2″ chunks
2 stalks celery peeled, cut into 2” chunks
1 ½  pounds creamer potatoes, if large cut into halves
2 to 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
3 tablespoons cornstarch

Directions:

1. Move the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 275°F.

2. Dry the roast thoroughly with paper towels and season it liberally on all sides with salt and pepper.

3. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to an oven-proof Dutch oven over medium-high heat and sear the roast on all sides until browned. This should take about 10 minutes. Transfer the roast to a rimmed sheet pan.

4. If the pot looks dry, add another tablespoon of olive oil and then add the onions. Turn down the heat and sauté for 5 to7 minutes or until softened and lightly browned.

5. Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.

6. Add in the wine, broth, Worcestershire sauce, and thyme. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.

7. Once it starts to simmer, add the roast along with any residual juices back in and turn off the heat.

8. Place the carrots, potatoes, and celery around the roast, then add the rosemary on top. Cover and roast for 3.5 to 4 hours, or until the meat is fall-apart tender.

9. Remove the rosemary sprigs, then, if necessary, skim some of the fat off the surface and discard it.

10. Take the meat, potatoes, and carrots out of the. In a small bowl, make a cornstarch slurry by adding 3 tablespoons of cold water to the cornstarch and mixing it together. Pour it into the pot and then simmer over medium-high heat until the sauce thickens a bit. Taste for seasoning.

11. Return the beef to the pot, pull it apart with two forks, and then return the carrots, celery, and potatoes and toss with the gravy.

12. Serve the meat along with the vegetables and gravy in heated bowls.

Wine Pairing: Cabernet Sauvignon, or the full-bodied red that was used to cook the roast.