Sunday Roast with Carrots and Potatoes

Confession: Didn't make it on a Sunday. I believe it was Thursday. It was cold and dreary, and it just felt like a comfort food kinda day. I love the perfectly seared edges and the fall-apart-goodness. It never turns out dry or bland. It may just be the kids' favorite too. And that's always a good thing. Zero complaining is refreshing, n'est pas?

What you need:

1 beef roast, this one was 2.5 pounds (top or bottom round, chuck, whatever)
1 small onion, peeled and sliced into rings
4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
4 potatoes, peeled and quartered
salt
pepper
oil
1/4 C. flour (gluten-free flour used here)
1 T. beef bouillon, optional

How you make it:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Generously salt and pepper roast. Heat 3 T. oil in roaster over medium high heat on a stovetop. Carefully add roast and brown on both sides (3-5 minutes each side). Remove from burner.

Arrange carrots and potatoes around roast. Lay onion rings over the top of the roast. Add enough water to almost cover the veggies. Cover with lid of roasting pan or with tin foil, tightly.

Roast in oven for 2-3 hours. I aim for at least 2.5 hours. (The longer cooking time will make it more tender. And know your oven. Oven temps are not always accurate. If your roast cooks too quickly or is overcooked, your oven may be too hot. Next time try lowering the temp setting by 25 degrees.)

Remove meat and veggies to heat-proof dish, cover with foil or lid and keep warm in 250 degree oven, while making gravy with the remaining juice.

GRAVY: In small bowl, whisk together 1 C. water and 1/4 C. flour. Pour into meat juice and whisk together, season with salt and pepper. The beef bouillon can be added to deepen the color and flavor of the gravy. (I don't always add that, as I like it more thin/clear, as pictured. So, I also maybe use only 1/8 C. flour instead of 1/4 C. But it's however you like it.) Cook quickly over medium high heat, until gravy bubbles and thickens.

Feel free to enjoy on a weekday, like I did too! Oh, it makes the house smell so yummy. And pot roast, as you can see, is totally not difficult or complicated at all!