French Love Affair Crockpot Peppered Herbes De Provence Roast - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 beef chuck roast (1-2 pounds)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons herbes de provence
1 tablespoon ground fennel
1 -2 tablespoon mixed peppercorns, ground
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
4 -6 medium-large red potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
1 lb sliced carrot
1 medium onion, sliced very thin into rounds and separated
salt, to taste
2 cups beef broth, for the crock pot (and au jus)
additional herbes de provence and thyme, for seasoning potatoes and carrots

Preparation

Mix the herbes de provence, ground fennel, ground pepper and thyme together.
Pat the beef dry with paper towels (this is important as surface moisture will interfere with good browning). Lightly oil outside of the roast with the olive oil.
Rub the mixture over the roast so that all surfaces are coated with the herbs.
Heat a large skillet over high heat. Sear the roast on all sides (about 3 rotations, approximately 1 minutes each). When browned, immediately remove from heat.
NOTE: for best results, fill the crockpot 2/3 full with roast and vegetables; this produces the best results when using a crockpot.
Add the beef broth to crockpot.
Add the roast to the crockpot. Layer carrots, potatoes and onions on top and sides of roast, sprinkling each layer with herbes, thyme, and salt, as desired.
Cook on high for 2 hours, then reduce temperature to low and cook an additional 4 hours.
When ready to serve, carefully remove roast (it may fall apart) to platter, and surround with carrots, potatoes and onions. This will not make as pretty a presentation as a roast and vegetables roasted in the oven; the crockpot tends to turn things a dull brown color, but the flavors are usually magnified.
Add au jus as desired.
Serve with a green salad and toasted french bagette slices with butter.