Beef Burgundy Pot Roast

This pot roast is rich and decadent, but easy to make-ahead for simple, but impressive entertaining.  I use a burgundy or pinot noir, but have used a cabernet sauvignon in a pinch...you're really just looking for a dry red wine that won't break the bank.  Cooking the mushrooms separately allows them to brown more, but you can throw them straight into the pot and they're still delicious.  Also, using an immersion blender to create a gravy makes the best sauce, but skipping that step will leave you with more intact vegetables....totally up to you.  You can use any starchy side you'd like, but, for me, mashed potatoes are perfect with this pot roast!

Beef Burgundy Pot Roast

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 lb. chuck roast
• 1/4 cup pancetta, diced
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. Wondra or all-purpose flour
• 2 cups dry red wine, such as a burgundy
• 1 cup beef stock (or wash out your tomato can if you don’t have stock on hand)
• 1 28 oz. can whole peeled tomatoes
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 4 sprigs thyme
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 8 oz. cremini mushrooms, quartered
• salt & pepper, to taste

 

Serves 6
Cook time: 2 hours and 20 minutes

Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat; pat chuck roast dry and season with S&P.  Sauté pancetta until browned, remove and set aside. Sear chuck in olive oil and  drippings on all sides to brown.  Once browned, remove and set aside.  Add onion, leek, celery, and carrots and cook till softened; add garlic and cook for 1 more minute.  

Preheat oven to 300.

Add Wondra and tomato paste, cook to remove raw taste.  Deglaze with wine; wait till alcohol cooks off before adding stock; add beef stock and scrap bits off bottom of Dutch oven.  Add tomatoes and herbs; stir to combine.  Add chuck back to pot, cover and allow beef to cook through.  Allow to cook for 2 more hours; remove rest for 15 minutes, slice (your chuck should be close to falling apart and very shreddable so be careful).  Using an immersion blender, blend about 1/3 of the vegetables in pot - this will give you a nice gravy.  Then return chuck slices to Dutch oven for another 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, sauté mushrooms in butter; once mushrooms have released their juices, salt and pepper.

After 30 minutes, remove Dutch oven from oven and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before serve.  Just before serving add mushrooms to Dutch oven. 

Serve with mashed potatoes.