It’s in the Pot

Good old-fashioned pot roast is nothing to sneeze at. It warms the belly and the heart and satisfies the taste buds. Traditional renditions include root crops like potatoes, carrot, and turnips, but there’s no need to limit yours.

Whether you prefer to thicken the broth to a light gravy in that last half hour before dinner or leave the drippinga as they are, this meal-in-one is a time-saver. Prep time is miniscule: thaw, season the meat, layer meat, liquids, and vegetables into a tightly-covered baking dish, and let it finish making your meal.

Nicole admires the flavor and texture a Römertopf baker provides, but even that is far from critical.

Pot Roast in a Römertopf

Serves about 6

Ingredients

Chuck roast is traditional
Salt and pepper
Other herbs you love
1 cup red wine
8 ounces tomato chunks or tomato sauce
1 onion in large chunks
garlic cloves
Enough potatoes, still in their skins, in large chunks
Carrots in large chunks

That’s the whole story. Just place the onions and garlic in the bottom of the baking pan, add a seasoned roast, sprinkle with additional herbs if you wish, pour in the liquids, and arrange the vegetables around and on top of the meat.

Close the cover; pop it in your oven.

With a Römertopf, begin at a very low temperature (175° F) for a few minutes, and incrementally raise the oven’s setting until you reach 350° F. Then let it roast until you’re ready to eat or you think it’s done, about 2 hours, total.

If your group is large, layer vegetables over the first roast, then the second roast, and fill in every space you can with vegetables. Increase roasting time to accommodate the amount of meat cooked.

For those who love real gravy, just before serving, pour off a decent amount of the drippings and thicken, then either serve this on the side, or add it to the luscious pot.