Mom T'S Pot Roast - cooking recipe

Ingredients

4 -5 lbs chuck roast
2 tablespoons Crisco
1 (1 1/4 ounce) package onion soup mix (optional)
1 bay leaf
2 onions, cut into 1/8 's
2 carrots, cut into 1-inch chunks
3 potatoes, cubed
salt and pepper
2 beef bouillon cubes
flour, to thicken gravy

Preparation

Heat large, heavy bottomed pan. Melt Crisco.
Brown roast on all sides in hot Crisco.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Sprinkle roast with onion soup mix if using.
Cover roast with water and add bay leaf and onions; simmer 2 hours.
Add carrots and potatoes to pot.
Cook until veggies are tender, about 40 minutes.
Remove roast and veggies from pot and set aside.
Add bouillon cubes to liquid and simmer. Skip the bouillon if you added onion soup mix.
Thicken, with flour mixed with water to make a slurry, as desired by adding slurry a little at a time, stirring constantly to ensure it mixes in well.