This Sunday we decided to entertain my parents and mother-in-law for dinner. Both my mother and mother-in-law are good cooks so no pressure, right? Well, instead of doing something time-consumingly fancy, I went in the complete opposite direction.
It was a windy, crisp autumn day that just seemed perfect for comfort food. Thus, I dove into the closet and dusted off the good ol’ slow cooker. With only a little prep the slow cooker did all the work. This way I could get to more important things like cleaning the house! And, when our guests arrived all we had to do was open a bottle of wine and make some mashed potatoes.
Drunken Pot Roast
Ingredients
- 1 lb. eye of round roast (Rocky Mountain Organic Meats)
- 2 cups carrots, coarsely chopped (Madura Farms via Fresh Nation Farmers Markets)
- 3 1/2 cups fresh parsnips, coarsely chopped (Taylor Farm via Bethel Farmer’s Market)
- 2 cups onion, chopped (Madura Farms via Fresh Nation Farmers Markets)
- 1 Tablespoon dried sage (my garden)
- 12 oz. dark beer (Berkshire Brewing Drayman’s Porter)
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Season the roast with the dried sage, salt and pepper.
- In a large saute pan heat the olive oil. Add the roast and brown on all sides.
- While the roast browns, chop the parsnips, carrots and onion and add them to the slow cooker insert. Season with salt and pepper.
- When the roast is fully browned place it on top of the vegetables in the slow cooker.
- Pour the beer over the meat and vegetables, put on the lid, and cook on low for 9 1/2 hours.
- When the time is up, pull out the roast and chop it into bite sized pieces. This will be easy since the meat should be falling apart. Add the chopped meat back into the slow cooker and let it all hang out on the “warming” setting until you’re ready to serve.
- Serve over Roasted Garlic Smashed Potatoes.
Photo by Renato Ghio
I can only assume by the request for seconds from my father and husband that the meal worked out just fine. Of course, I’m sure following up the meal with Apple Cranberry Crisp didn’t hurt either.
I must say, sometimes the best meals for entertaining are simple comfort foods.