Gather Your Family Around the Table for an Old-Fashioned Pot Roast Sunday Dinner

Before we became empty nesters, I loved gathering my family around the table for Sunday dinner. When our children become adults and move to other cities, states, or even countries, that becomes harder. Whenever possible, I love sharing Sunday dinner with family that live close by. For me, there is nothing more heartwarming than preparing and sharing a meal with those I love.

Perhaps this tradition is important to me because it was important to my mother. My family of origin always enjoyed Sunday dinner together. On the menu—pot roast. As life becomes more hectic and complicated, I love returning to old traditions; so recently I prepared an Old- Fashioned Pot Roast in a slow cooker. My mother always used rump roast when she made pot roast; and, of course, she prepared it in the oven since slow cookers hadn’t been invented. I prefer using a chuck roast because its connective tissue and fat content yield juicier results. I like searing my roast and cooking it for hours in a slow cooker. The results—a very tender, flavorful roast.

The following recipe is perfect for gathering your family around the table and enjoying an old-fashioned Sunday dinner. My husband gave this recipe a 10—his highest rating.

Old-Fashioned Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Serves 6

1 (3-pound) chuck roast

Salt for seasoning

Freshly ground black pepper for seasoning

Cooking spray

1 yellow onion, peeled, halved, and cut into ½-inch slices

1 ½ tablespoons minced garlic

1 pound small Yukon gold potatoes, left whole, (about 1 ½ to 2 inches in diameter)

1 ½ pounds carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces (If carrots are quite thick, slice in half

lengthwise.)

1 ¼ cups beef broth

2 teaspoons Worcestershire® sauce

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

1 bay leaf

Season chuck roast on both sides with salt and pepper. Spray a large skillet with cooking spray and place over a medium-high heat. Sear pot roast until browned on both sides, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer pot roast to a slow cooker.

Spray skillet again with cooking spray. Add onion and sauté 2 to 3 minutes. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant. Transfer the onion mixture to the slow cooker. Layer potatoes and carrots over the onion mixture.

Heat the same skillet over a medium-high heat. Add beef broth, Worcestershire®, thyme, and bay leaf. Using a wooden spoon, scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Pour the beef broth mixture over the vegetables.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or until meat is fork tender.

Remove the vegetables to a serving dish and place in a 175 degrees F oven to keep warm. Cut potatoes in half if desired. Discard bay leaf. Remove any fat from the roast and cut or shred meat into bite-size pieces. Transfer meat to the serving dish.

To serve: Pour broth over the meat and vegetables or make a gravy.

For the gravy:

¼ cup beef broth from slow cooker

2 tablespoons cornstarch

Pour broth from the slow cooker through a fine sieve and transfer to a saucepan and place over a medium-high heat. In a small bowl, place beef broth and cornstarch and whisk to blend. Add the corn starch mixture to the beef broth and stir constantly until incorporated and thickened to desired consistency.

Place gravy in a gravy boat and serve on the side.

Tips on buying chuck roast: Depending upon where you live, chuck roast might be labeled chuck eye, blade, pot, or chuck roll.

Carol Ann

Carol Ann Kates is the award-winning author of cookbook, Secret Recipes from the Corner Market, and international Amazon best-selling and award-winning author of Grocery Shopping Secrets. She’s an expert in how to shop, select, and store produce for maximizing home cooking outcomes and minimizing time and money spent. As a former supermarket and deli operator, Carol Ann shares grocery-insider wisdom—the same expertise you used to receive when patronizing a mom-and-pop establishment. Contact her at CarolAnn@CarolAnnKates.com and explore her website, www.CarolAnnKates.com.

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