One Easy Pot Roast With Vegetables With The Perfect Gravy Tips - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 (2 -3 lb) boneless chuck roast (or any tougher beef cut such as brisket, 7-bone roast, etc.)
Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon dried oregano, crushed
fresh ground black pepper
8 baby red new potatoes, scrubbed
4 carrots, peeled, trimmed and cut into 4-inch lengths
8 ounces baby portabella mushrooms, brushed clean and trimmed
6 garlic cloves, peeled and cut into halves
1/2 large sweet onion, sliced very thin
vegetable cooking spray
1 (8 ounce) package dry onion soup mix
1/4 cup red wine
3/4 cup beef broth
2 tablespoons tomato paste (see Note)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325*F.
Rub beef chuck roast with Worcestershire sauce on both sides.
Combine onion powder, garlic powder, kosher salt, and dried oregano. Sprinkle spice mixture evenly on both sides of roast. Add fresh ground black pepper to taste. Place seasoned chuck roast in the center of a large foil-lined roasting pan.
Arrange new potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, and garlic around roast. Separate sweet onion slices and arrange on top of beef and vegetables. Spray top of vegetables with vegetable oil. Sprinkle dry onion soup mix evenly on top of vegetables and meat.
In a separate small bowl, combine red wine, beef broth, and tomato paste until smooth. Pour mixture down the side of the pan, tilting to distribute evenly over the bottom. Cover pan with foil, crimping around the edges to seal tight.
Bake for 2-1/2 to 3 hours, until meat is tender. Slice pot roast and serve with roasted vegetables and pan gravy.
My Notes: Tomato paste is sold in tubes (like toothpaste) for those times when you just need a tablespoon or two. Refrigerate after opening, and it will last a couple of months. If you need to open a can of tomato paste for this recipe, the excess can be easily frozen. Measure by the tablespoon into ice cube trays, freeze until solid, pop them out, then seal in a zip-top bag and store in the freezer.
Perfect Gravy Tips and Hints:
With a few tricks, you can turn out the best gravy ever. Below you will find tips and hints for making gravy and fixing it when or if things go wrong.
1 Lumpy gravy: Pour into blender and give it a whir for no more than thirty to sixty seconds. Do not overblend. Pour back into pot and reheat.
2 Instant mashed potato flakes will work as a thickener for gravy and produces no lumps. You may need extra salt.
3 Too salty: Try adding a pinch or brown sugar or a 1/4 teaspoon vinegar.
4 Use flours that are low in protein and high in starch, such as cake flour, pastry flour or all-purpose flour. This will help prevent any \"skin\" from forming on gravy as it sits.
5 When deglazing the pan, be sure to scrape up those bits clinging to the bottom of the pan. They increase the flavor of the gravy.
6 Constarch has twice the thickening power of flour.
7 Arrowroot has slightly more than twice the thickening power of flour.
8 Avoid making gravy in an aluminum (anodized is okay) pan as it can turn the gravy gray.
9 Liquid gravy browner can be added to gravy to improve color.
10 When adding liquid to the roux, add it slowly and whisk constantly to avoid lumping.
11 Whisking in a tablespoon of butter of heavy cream just before serving will give gravy a rich, satiny texture.
12 Adding a teaspoon of instant coffee granules or cocoa per two cups gravy enriches the flavor as well as adds color.
13 Cooked meat stores and freezes better in its gravy. The gravy keeps the meat from drying out.