Mum's Pot Roast

"The pot roast that my mother (no longer with us) taught me when I was growing up and that she was still making into the 1990s. The amounts are approximate, as she never measured the flour, salt, oil, etc., and would use more or fewer of the vegetables depending on what she had on hand. I'm writing this for a six person recipe (with enough meat possibly for leftovers for stew), but she made it with anywhere from a 2-4 lb roast and approximately 1 medium to large potato per person and 1 large carrot per person. The herbs usually included oregano and a bay leaf. Since I started making it, I omit the salt. I’ve generally used italian herb seasoning for the herbs and added some garlic powder or minced garlic. I HAVE USUALLY USED 1/2 CUP VINEGAR AND 1/2 CUP CATSUP; MUM ALMOST ALWAYS USED AT LEAST PARTLY VINEGAR, TOO, AND TO OUR FAMILY IT JUST WOULDN'T BE QUITE THE SAME WITHOUT AT LEAST A SMALL PART VINEGAR. I’ve sometimes added green beans, peas or zucchini (the latter two only towards the end of cooking). When water simmers low enough that it needs to be replaced, I generally replace with beef bouillon rather than more water."
 
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photo by a food.com user photo by a food.com user
Ready In:
2hrs 20mins
Ingredients:
11
Serves:
6
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ingredients

  • 14 cup flour
  • 12 teaspoon salt
  • 14 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 (3 lb) pot roast
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 6 medium potatoes, cut into large cubes
  • 6 large carrots, halved lengthwise then cut into thirds crosswise
  • 2 onions, cut into eighths
  • 1 1 cup catsup or 1 cup red wine
  • herbs (usually including oregano and a bay leaf)
  • 1 -2 tablespoon flour
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directions

  • Combine flour, salt and pepper in a paper bag.
  • Add roast and shake to coat.
  • In a dutch oven or large pot, brown roast on all sides in oil. Stuff vegetables in around the sides of the roast.
  • Combine 1 cup vinegar (or catsup or wine or a mixture) with herbs and pour into the pot.
  • Fill pan with enough water to cover roast and bring to a boil.
  • Reduce heat to low and simmer 1½-2 hours until meat is falling-apart tender, adding water to the pot as needed.
  • Remove meat and vegetables from the pot and keep warm.
  • Add flour to pot liquid and continue to cook, stirring, until it thickens into gravy.

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Reviews

  1. Mum's always know about pot roast - this one was good and comforting. I used ketchup, but would reduce the 1 cup called for or use 1/2 cup ketchup and 1/2 cup wine as the 1 full cup was overpowering, I found. My herbs did include oregano and a bay leaf, buy I also added a pinch of dried thyme and a dash of cinnamon (I love the taste of a bit of cinnamon in a red sauce).
     
  2. This recipe turned out great. I made a few changes. I browned the roast but placed it in my Rival 5 quart slow cooker. I placed the vegetables on the bottom with the roast on top. I combined 1/2 cup beef broth with 1/2 cup red wine for the extra water. I used 1 Tablespoon crushed Italian herbs, 1 bay leaf and 1 clove of minced garlic. I cooked everything on Low for 6 hours. The roast turned out Fantastic and the gravy was just as good to serve over Garlic and Herb Mashed Potatoes. Thanks for posting.
     
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

[SINCE I HAVE WELL OVER 200 COOKBOOKS, I SUGGEST THAT ANYONE EXPLORING MY COLLECTION CLICK ON 'AUTHOR'S ORDER' AT THE TOP OF THE RIGHT HAND COLUMN BEFORE PROCEEDING. I'VE ARRANGED THEM SO THAT COOKBOOK SERIES OR SIMPLY COOKBOOKS ON RELATED TOPICS APPEAR TOGETHER, WHICH SHOULD MAKE IT EASIER TO FIND THE ONES THAT INTEREST YOU.] In 2004, I moved home to New England after many years living in the South. Often I go walking in the morning with my sister, who lives near me on the Maine coast--we truly live in a beautiful place. I share a love of ACC basketball with my brother in upstate New York. Nowadays, I rely heavily on Kitty Rosati's Heal Your Heart book (lots of low-sodium recipes) and Donald Gazzaniga's No-Salt, Lowest-Sodium Cookbook. Other cookbooks I frequently use are Weil & Daley's The Healthy Kitchen and Cooking Light's Five-Star Recipes cookbook. From January 2005 to September 2008, I hosted the recipe tagging game <a href="http://www.recipezaar.com/bb/viewtopic.zsp?p=2192193">ONE-TWO-THREE HIT WONDERS</a>, taking four months off in late 2007, during which the tireless, compassionate and totally wonderful Game Forum Hosts <a href="http://www.recipezaar.com/member/88099"> ~Nimz~</a>, <a href="http://www.recipezaar.com/member/67656"> justcallmetoni</a>, <a href="http://www.recipezaar.com/member/157425">Lauralie41</a> and <a href="http://www.recipezaar.com/member/428885">Andi of Longmeadow Farm</a> with incredible kindness of took over my workload. I loved hosting the game and the players there were and are the best, but competing obligations required me to give it up and it's now ably presided over by HokiesLady. In 2008 my dear sister finally joined Recipezaar. Her chef name is Sagadahoc (the county in Maine she lives in). My popular Recipe #89132 is actually her recipe--check it out sometime, it's great! She eventually realized how useful having several cookbooks can be, so I gave her a premium membership as her birthday present in March 2008. Some of my favorite sources of recipes are the public cookbooks of other Zaar chefs. I have over 100 bookmarked to refer to occasionally, but some of my favorites are from the following: In January-February 2007, the Chefs of 1-2-3 Hit Wonders hosted a Cook-a-Thon for veteran Zaar member Sharon123 while she was undergoing chemotherapy at Duke University. The entire group of recipes tagged, cooked and reviewed for the Cook-a-Thon are contained in: <li><a href="http://www.recipezaar.com/cookbook.php?bookid=123948">Sharon123's Cook-a-Thon Cookbook</a></li> <a href="http://www.recipezaar.com/member/58104">~Rita~</a>: Thanks to her stunning photographs, she has one of the most beautiful cookbook lists at Zaar. Her cookbooks focus on a variety of inspired topics, many of them health-related, and the introductions often provide an encyclopedic disquisition on the topic at hand. Some stand-outs: <li><a href="http://www.recipezaar.com/mycookbook/book/27685">Edible Flowers</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.recipezaar.com/mycookbook/book/33443">Honey Honey You`ve got me wanting you!</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.recipezaar.com/mycookbook/book/33123">Recipes I named after zaar chefs</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.recipezaar.com/mycookbook/book/33325">Menopause</a></li> If you've been around Zaar any length of time, you probably know that <a href="http://www.recipezaar.com/member/4470">Bergy</a> writes wonderfully detailed and helpful recipe reviews and has also contributed a wealth of wonderful recipes of her own. 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UPDATE: <a href="http://www.recipezaar.com/member/80353">evelyn/athens</a>, host of the Greek Cooking Forum and Greek food expert extraordinaire has a cookbook of her own Greek fecipes that could be the only reference you'll ever need for Greek cuisine: <li><a href="http://www.recipezaar.com/mycookbook/book/76021">Greek Cookery</a></li> I'm not a vegetarian, but I do eat meatless meals a fair amount of the time. 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