Sheila'S Savory Pot Roast And Vegetables With Gravy - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 (4 -5 lb) chuck roast or (4 -5 lb) round roast
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup beef broth
1 medium onion, peeled and stuck with 2 whole cloves
1 bay leaf (2 inches long)
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 lbs carrots, cut in 2- to 3-inch pieces (about 4-1/2 cups)
1 lb parsnip, cut in 2-inch pieces (3 cups)
1 lb white pearl onion, peeled and ends trimmed (see Note)
1/3 cup water

Preparation

Rub the roast with 3 T. flour.
Heat oil in 5- to 6-quart ovenproof Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat until rippling but not smoking. Add the meat and brown on all sides.
Add broth, onion with cloves, bay leaf, thyme, salt and pepper. Cover and reduce heat to low and simmer, or place in a preheated 300 degree oven. Cook 2 hours or until almost fork-tender.
Scatter vegetables around meat. Cover and cook 1-1/2 hours longer or until meat and vegetables are tender. Remove meat from pot.
Strain juices from vegetables into a 1-quart saucepan.
(Can be prepared ahead to this point. Return meat and vegetables to pot. Cover pot and saucepan and refrigerate up to 48 hours.).
About 1 hour before serving, heat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk remaining 1/4 cup flour with the water until smooth.
Skim and discard fat from reserved vegetable liquid in saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then whisk in flour mixture. Boil 2 to 3 minutes, whisking often until gravy has thickened.
Pour over meat and vegetables. Cover and cook or bake for 45 to 50 minutes until hot (meat thermometer inserted in thickest part should read 130 degrees).
Remove meat to serving platter. Remove vegetables with slotted spoon and arrange around meat. Pour gravy into gravy boat and serve alongside meat and vegetables.
Note: To peel onions, place in saucepan with water to cover. Bring to a boil, drain, chill in cold water, then slip off skins.