Pot Roast!

I think Pot Roast is my favorite meal. Especially with homemade french fries to soak up the gravy. Here is the recipe from Mastering The Art Of French Cooking by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle, and Simone Beck, slightly altered by me:

3-5 lb Rump Roast
1 cup each of thinly sliced carrots, onion, and celery
2 halved cloves of garlic (unpeeled)
1 Tablespoon Thyme (I use a Tablespoon of dried Thyme and I'm not sorry)
2 Bay Leaves
1 heaping Tablespoon dried parsley, 1/4 cup if fresh
2 whole cloves or 4 allspice berries
1 Tablespoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of ground black pepper
3-5 cups of red wine
1/3 cup of brandy
1/2 cup of olive oil
6 Tablespoons of fat, recipe calls for pork-I use our own chicken fat
4 cups of stock, I use our own chicken stock, you can use water if you must

Layer the vegetables and herbs on the bottom of a 5 quart pot. Rub the beef with the salt and pepper and place on top of the vegetables. Pour in the red wine, brandy and olive oil. Let marinate at room temperature for at least 6 hours turning every hour, 12-24 if in the refrigerator turning as frequently as you like.

Remove the roast from the marinade and pat dry (if it is not dry it won't brown). Let come to room temperature if refrigerated. Heat 6 Tablespoons of animal fat in a 5 quart pot on medium high heat. Brown the roast on each side for about 3 minutes. I turn the heat down a couple notches with every turn. By the time I'm on the last side I'm usually at medium low to low heat. Remove the roast and discard the browning fat (I save this for the french fries). Pour the marinade, vegetables and all, into the pot and bring to a boil. Simmer till 1/2 has boiled away then add the stock. Bring back to a boil, add the roast, put the lid on, and reduce to a low simmer. At this point you can put the roast into the oven at 350, into a crock pot, or keep on the stove. Check frequently to regulate heat, keeping it at a low simmer, and turn the roast maybe every hour.  Plan to braise 1 hour for every pound.

Remove the roast from the liquid. Bring the liquid to a boil and reduce the amount by half. Mix 2 Tablespoons of corn starch into a small amount of cold water and add to the sauce to thicken. Serve with the roast.

They say a 5 lb roast will feed 10 people, but I find it feeds Tom and myself for 3 greedy meals. I don't have any pictures of the finished product because I was too distracted with eating.