Marilyn Bamford inspired Pot Roast

She often remembers her mother, Marilyn, making Pot Roast. Pot Roast with greasy sauerkraut and lots of fat.

“It’s the only thing my mom made that had fat in it!”

Maria loved her mama’s pot roast but she never wrote down the recipe. So, we turned to another one of our YMK guests to help her find the taste of home. The legendary cookbook author, Mark Bittman has a recipe for a slammin’ pot roast in his classic book, “How to Cook Everything.” Mark is so great at waking even a kitchen novice through almost any dish and this one does not disappoint. It’s his take on a classic and once you master a basic pot roast recipe, you can pull it in kindds of directions with the right herbs, spices or vegetables — Spanish, Thai, Greek, Brazilian or even Nordic if juniper berries are your thing. Make sure to use a heavy Dutch oven.

Recipe courtesy of: Mark Bittman, How to Cook Everything

Ingredients

• 1 clove garlic

  1 3-4 pound piece chuck or rump roast, tied if necessary

  1 bay leaf

  salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

  2 tablespoons olive or peanut oil

  2 cups chopped onion

  1 cup peeled and chopped carrot

  1 celery stalk, chopped

  1/2 cup red wine or water

  1 cup chicken, beef or vegetable stock or water

Step 1

Peel the garlic clove and cut it into tiny slivers; insert the slivers into several spots around the roast, poking holes with a thin-bladed knife. Crumble the bay leaf as finely as you can and mix it with the salt and pepper.

Step 2

Heat the oil over medium high heat in a Dutch oven or other heavy pan that can later be covered; brown the roast on all sides, raking your time. Adjust the heat so the fat browns but does not burn. Remover the meat to a platter and add the vegetables to the Dutch oven. Cook them over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until softened and somewhat browned, about 10 minutes.

Step 3

Add the red wine and cook, scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon, until the wine has just about evaporated. Add about half the stock or water, return the roast to the pot, and turn the heat down to very low.

Step 4

Turn the meat every 15 minutes and cook until it is tender – a fork will pierce the meat without pushing too hard and the juices will run clear – about 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours.

Step 5

emove the meat from the pot and keep it warm. Skim the fat from the surface of the remaining juice. Turn the heat to high and cook, stirring and scraping until the liquid is thick and almost evaporated. Check for seasoning. Slice the meat and serve it with the pan juices.

#MichelesKitchenNotes Don’t rush this recipe and do follow the instructions to turn the roast repeatedly. Set a timer so you don’t forget.