Dutch Oven Pot Roast with Carrots and Potatoes
Savory, meaty and tender, with flavorful browned vegetables, Dutch Oven Pot Roast with Carrots and Potatoes is a perfect weekend dinner.
Is there anything that says Sunday Supper quite like a good old-fashioned Pot Roast? And it’s even better loaded up with carrots and potatoes!
Yes, making a good pot roast can take an inexpensive cut of meat and turn it into a special dinner. Without a whole lot of work since the slow cooking does all the tenderizing similar to this Slow Cooker Cube Steak.
Would that makes it even better than the “Chicken in Every Pot” of depression-era fame?
What is a Pot Roast?
Per Wikipedia, “Pot Roast is an American beef dish made by slow cooking a usually tough cut of beef in moist heat. Tougher cuts such as chuck steak… are preferred for this technique…In the US, where it is also known as “Yankee pot roast”, the dish is often served with vegetables such as carrots, potatoes and onions.”
Of course, all cultures have their own special dishes with the ability to redeem less prized cuts of meat. And since it seems I get, umm, 97 chuck roasts in my grass fed beef quarter, I decided that’s a good thing!
Why You’ll Love This!
Tasty. Rich and meaty, any old school eaters will be absolutely over the moon with enjoyment! Even the carrots and potatoes get a flavor boost from the meat juices and caramelization!
Easy. With meat, potatoes and carrots all in one pot, dinner doesn’t get much easier. And while there is a lot of elapsed (not working) time, just do it on a day you’re busy with other chores and the time will fly.
Frugal. Gotta love the delight that comes from a cheaper cut of meat that might have been ground into just one more burger!
Step by Step Directions
Heat 1 Tablespoon of oil in a large Dutch Oven or Braiser. Salt and pepper the roast, then brown on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Remove to a platter.
Add another Tablespoon of oil if the pan is dry, then cook the chopped vegetables (carrot, celery, onion) until tender. Gently scrape the pan sides to pick up any browned bits of meat.
Stir in herbs (bay leaf, thyme, rosemary), stock base, tomato paste (or powder), and garlic. Add red wine and water. Add back roast then cook covered, 2 hours at 300 F. Check and add water if needed (mine didn’t, but it will depend on the tightness of your seal).
Add potatoes and carrots, sprinkle with salt, then cook covered for another 1 ½ hours. Check the roast and vegetables for tenderness. If they aren’t both tender, replace the lid and continue cooking, checking again for tenderness every 30-60 minutes.
Optionally, once the roast is tender, increase the heat to 425 F and remove the pan lid. Cook for an additional 15 minutes to further brown the vegetables. Roast and vegetables can be served as is, or you can also make gravy and serve it on the side.
To make gravy:
Remove the meat and large vegetables to a clean platter. Strain 2 cups of liquid from the juice/chopped vegetable mixture into a small saucepan.
Place about a half cup of the broth into a small container and add in 6 Tablespoons of flour. Whisk until no lumps remain to form a slurry.
Bring the remaining 1 ½ cups of juices to a boil, then slowly whisk in the slurry. Cook until thickened, 2-3 minutes. If needed, you can thin this by adding a little more water or thicken it by making and adding more slurry.
How to Serve
Deciding what to serve with this Pot Roast is easy because it has a vegetable (carrots) and a starch (potatoes) right in with the main dish! So you don’t have to add anything but a beverage.
Of course despite its completeness, you might consider a couple of sides with this meal. A nice loaf of crusty bread will help satisfy guests if you are serving big eaters. My husband could probably eat all the potatoes himself! Plus bread is great for sopping up gravy or pan juices.
Finally, a nice green salad will add even more healthy nutrition. You can go with a classic lettuce salad like Poached Pear Salad with Goat Cheese or Spicy Italian Salad. Or for variety, consider a chopped vegetable salad like the Classic Broccoli Bacon Salad.
Now one nice thing about Pot Roast is that you have the option of serving it right in the Dutch Oven it cooks in! I like to use my braiser because it’s especially pretty on the table. I would serve the gravy on the side however.
Variations and Special Diets
To prepare in a slow cooker, you can brown your roast on the stovetop ahead of time, or you can omit that. Add the chopped vegetables to the cooker if using, then whisk together the tomato paste, stock base, water and herbs in the pot. Top with roast, vegetables and wine. Cook on low for about 8 hours or high for about 5 until tender.
If you’re like me and have a freezer with 97 chuck roasts, I have a few more ideas for you. Dutch Oven or Slow Cooker Pulled Beef is a similar dish that is perfect for sandwiches. Or Slow Cooker or Dutch Oven Shredded Beef Barbacoa is great as a taco filling. So in the end, maybe having a full freezer’s not a problem at all!
Leftovers
Leftovers should be covered, refrigerated, and eaten within a few days. You can reheat and eat as is, or consider mixing the meat and gravy together and serving on a bun or slider roll.
Tips & FAQs
Anytime you cook in a slow cooker or Dutch oven, you may need to add water partway through the cooking. This depends as much on the tightness of the seal as on the recipe. Over time you may come to ‘know” how your pot performs.
A Le Creuset salesperson once taught me how to check the lid of an enameled cast iron braiser or Dutch oven for tightness before buying it. She told me to remove the protective plastic guards (that sit between the lid and pan for storage), then place the lid on the pan and jiggle it slightly. If there is any movement, put the pan down and move on to the next.
Want to avoid heating up the kitchen in hot summer weather? Plug in a slow cooker outside to create an improvised summer kitchen. Then prepare the pot roast in that. Just be sure the lid is on if you’re not around to keep out things like falling leaves (and perhaps curious animals)!
My Summer Kitchen
Bland gravy? It’s unlikely that the gravy from this recipe will be bland but if it is (now or another gravy recipe), you can try stirring in a little stock base to punch up the flavor.
Finally, if you only have very thin carrots, consider adding them a little later in the cooking process.
Healthy Comfort Food
- Carrot Ginger Tomato Soup from Confessions of an Overworked Mom
- Chicken Black Bean Soup from That Recipe
- Condensed Tomato Soup Substitute from Palatable Pastime
- Dutch Oven Pot Roast with Carrots and Potatoes from Art of Natural Living
- Green Papaya Salad from Magical Ingredients
- Low Carb Brownies with Bacon from Almond Flour Baking
- Spicy Jambalaya Chili from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
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Dutch Oven Pot Roast with Carrots and Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1-2 Tablespoons oil
- 4 pound chuck roast trimmed of large pieces of exterior fat
- 1 cup celery chopped
- 1 cup carrots chopped
- 1 cup onion chopped
- 1 cup red wine
- 1 cup water
- 2 teaspoons stock base like Better than Bouillon beef or chicken flavor
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste or 1 Tablespoon tomato powder
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 1 few sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1 garlic cloves crushed
- 1-2 pounds small potatoes about a dozen small
- 6 carrots large-size peeled and cut into large pieces
Instructions
- Heat 1 Tablespoon of oil in a large Dutch Oven or Braiser. Salt and pepper the roast, then brown on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Remove to a platter.
- Add another Tablespoon of oil if the pan is dry, then cook the chopped vegetables (carrot, celery, onion) until tender. Gently scrape the pan sides to pick up any browned bits of meat.
- Stir in herbs (bay leaf, thyme, rosemary), stock base, tomato paste (or powder), and garlic. Add red wine and water.
- Add back roast then cook covered, 2 hours at 300 F. Check and add water if needed (mine didn’t, but it will depend on the tightness of your seal).
- Add potatoes and carrots, sprinkle with salt, then cook covered for another 1 ½ hours. Check the roast and vegetables for tenderness. If they aren’t both tender, replace the lid and continue cooking, checking again for tenderness every 30-60 minutes.
- Optionally, once the roast is tender, increase the heat to 425 F and remove the pan lid. Cook for an additional 15 minutes to further brown the vegetables.
- If you’d like to make gravy:
- Remove the meat and large vegetables to a clean platter. Strain 2 cups of liquid from the juice/chopped vegetable mixture into a small saucepan. Place about a half cup of the broth into a small container and add in 6 Tablespoons of flour. Whisk until no lumps remain to form a slurry. Bring the remaining 1 ½ cups of juices to a boil, then slowly whisk in the slurry. Cook until thickened, 2-3 minutes.
- If needed, you can thin this by adding a little more water or thicken it by making and adding more slurry.
I am a total sucker for a good pot roast. We bought a brasier like that one and use it ALL THE TIME! It’s the perfect pot for pot roast just like that delicious one.
There is nothing that beats a good pot roast, and yours looks amazing!
Thanks Jeff!
This Dutch oven pot roast recipe is a symphony of comfort food! The way you describe the tender meat, caramelized veggies, and rich gravy practically makes my mouth water. I can already picture the steam rising from the pot and the warm aroma filling the house – pure Sunday supper bliss.
That is comfort on a plate. I love pot roast and I just cannot make one like my mother used to. I need to try yours as it looks just like hers.
Yes, those family recipes are always a challenge David! Doing a mirepoix of carrots, celery and onion is a step that not all recipes have that increases the flavor. And if you chop those veggies in a food processor, it’s really not much work. Guessing your mother was a pretty good cook so maybe she did something like that.
This is a comfort meal, and no doubt about that. This recipe sounds great with great step by step instructions.
What would we do without comfort food!
My mother use to cook a chuck roast at least once a month when I was growing up. Of course she didn’t use wine or fresh herbs and always added onions to the potatoes and carrots. She roasted it in a blue enamel roaster with a lid. Times have changed but it is still one of my favorite meals. Yours looks very good. Happy New Year.
Isn’t it funny how we actually remember some of the cooking dishes from growing up–I do too! Have a great New Year too. Now that we’re finally traveling more I have to get over and re-read a bunch of your travel posts!