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Monday, October 18, 2010

Pot Roast Stew

Good Afternoon! Here is another family favorite for ya. My Mom never follows a recipe when she makes this but we sat down after she made it last week and wrote quantities down so we could share it here (thanks Mom!). She's got this soup down to a science! I don't say things are the "best" a lot around here, but this stew really is the best of its kind. Enjoy!

Recipe and preparation for the pot-roast:

3 lb (give or take) rump roast
6 Bay leaves
1 largish yellow onion
1 qt Kitchen Basics Beef Stock, ONLY use 2 cups and refrigerate the rest to use later in the recipe.
Salt and Pepper

Slice yellow onion into disks. Line onion disks on the bottom of your crock-pot. Place roast on top of onion disks, fat side up. Pour in your 2 cups beef stock. Scatter bay leaves in and lastly, season with salt pepper generously. Cook on low for at least 8 hours.

1 hour before roast is done, begin to assemble the soup. Here is the remainder of the ingredients to compile the stew (yield 10-12):

3 qts Kitchen Basics Beef Stock
2 yellow onions, diced
10-12 medium red potatoes, scrubbed and cut lengthwise into 1 inch size pieces (refer to picture)
10 carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/4 - 1/2 inch pieces
1 bag frozen peas
3/4 cup cornstarch
Remaining beef stock that wasn't used in the roast preparation


In an x-large pot, heat 2-3 tbs extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and allow to sweat and caramelize for 10-15 minutes, stirring often. Add a little more oil if the onions get too dry and begin to stick. When onions are completely softened, add in all 3 qts of beef stock. Add potato pieces and sliced carrots. Turn heat up to high. Bring to a boil. Boil for 10-15 minutes, then turn heat down to medium (rolling boil). This will help insure that you don't overcook the potatoes and carrots. Take the left-over beef stock from the fridge and pour all of it into a small bowl. Whisk 3/4 cups corn starch vigorously into the small bowl with the beef stock- making sure you combine all bits of cornstarch. The mixture will be the color of creamy caramel. Make sure the soup is still at a rolling boil and while continually stirring the soup, slowly add the cornstarch mixture. The soup will begin to thicken after a minute or two. Allow soup to bubble and thicken for a few minutes. Add frozen peas and stir. While the peas heat through, turn your attention to the pot roast for prepping:

When the roast is done, remove from crock-pot and place on a cutting board. Remove the layer of fat and discard. Using a fork and/or knife gently pull the meat apart into suitable chunks for the stew. You can use a knife if you want to cut the pieces to be more bite size. When finished pulling all the meat, add to the soup and stir to incorporate. Also, add remaining juices from the crock-pot to the stew. Taste and add salt and pepper to your liking-- keep in mind it may not need any at all. Test the potatoes and carrots for doneness, they should be perfect at this point. If they do seem a little firm, cook for a few minutes more.

Serve Pot Roast Stew in bowls with some bread on the side to sop up all the rich gravy. Refrigerate left overs up to a week. To reheat, gently do so over medium-low heat.

image by Kara and Briana
model is Kara

P.S. Thanks Design Mom for linking to the Golden Oreo post! So cool. Checkout the link if you didn't see it. :)

6 comments:

Haley and Lance (but probably just Haley) said...

I SO wish a pot of this was sitting on my stove right now. Yum. This recipe looks perfect - can't wait to test it out!

Tori said...

A good old family recipe is a great thing! One thing I would suggest is using grass fed beef when you make pot roast. It is much healthier and adds an entirely new level of flavor to your meal. I work with La Cense Beef which offers consumer access to 100% grass fed beef over the internet.

Briana said...

Excellent suggestion, Tori. I couldn't agree more. I am actually in the process of buying a grass fed cow with some neighbors! Hopefully it will all work out.

I am going to check out La Cense Beef. Thanks!

Dickinson's said...

Just put the rump roast in my crock pot! So excited for beef stew tonight! YUMMMM

Dickinson's said...

Sorry for the double post, but just ate the stew with hot rolls straight from the oven and oh my, could not be any better!! SO delish. Love it. Thanks

Anonymous said...

The pot roast stew stew recipe sounds healthy, tasty and comforting. I really enjoy my naturally raised grass fed beef so I would substitute all meats for grass fed. It's great getting my food very fresh by buying my meat online. I also like the idea that the cattle are not exposed to unhealthy pesticides or antibiotics. I'm not only eating healthier but I'm considering the environment. I love buying my pot roasts online because I can conveniently purchase quality roasts that I'm assured are the best. I know. a great place to get grass fed quality pot roasts on line is LaCense Beef. Though I work for for them, the reason I keep ordering is that I feel they are the best. They include wonderful pot roast recipes. They make great gifts for friends and family during the holiday season. Check it out.