Wine Braised Pot Roast for T

Now I am not a traditional, 1950s dinner kind of girl; this means that I don't usually make pot roasts, meatloaf or anything that sounds remotely like tuna casserole (I cringe at the words!). However, the husband loves pot roast and sometimes, just sometimes, you have to grant menu requests and make it despite your own feelings. So I found a decent recipe, adjusted it to my liking and made it a little healthier and took on the challenge of homemakers everywhere - the classic (sort of) pot roast for Sunday dinner.

First things first, wash the roast and then lightly coat it with some salt, pepper and a little pre-mixed steak seasoning (literally don't overdo it on the steak seasoning...a few sprinkles is enough). Then you want to sear the roast in the Dutch Oven pan on the stove with some grape seed oil (I don't condone vegetable oil), over medium heat, about 2 minutes on each side until it browns a little. Then set the meat aside and add 1/2 cup chopped onion and 1/2 cup chopped celery to the oil and juices in the pan. Reduce the heat and let that soften. Then add in 4 minced cloves of garlic and 1/2 cup of sliced carrots. After another two minutes, stir in 1 cup of chicken broth, 3 spoonfuls of tomato paste and some hefty pours of DRY red wine (I used a Petite Syrah that's fit for drinking, not just cooking), close to 2 cups.

Meanwhile I cooked five slices of turkey bacon (again, I went healthier), patted it dry and crumbled it up for the sauce. I did NOT use the bacon grease...but that's your call, you can add it to the sauce. Put the bacon into the pan, along with the roast, two bay leaves and some fresh rosemary - say a tsp. Now heat the oven to 320 degrees, cover the roast and let it cook for 90 minutes. Then you need to flip the roast in the sauce and then cook it for another 45 minutes. Though you can take the roast's temp, a roast soaking in liquid will ALWAYS be more done than rare, so you want to make sure the roast is 'fork tender' meaning the from can be easily inserted and removed. This temp & length of time should yield that.

Served with roasted gold potatoes (made first in the oven in pyrex for 60 minutes and then crisped up in the cast iron skillet atop the stove). 

PS - I actually liked it, so we might even have it again....next time he asks, that is. 

- Melissa