Roaster Oven Pot Roast for 10
My wife announced on Saturday that three relatives were showing up at her mother's house the next day and told me that she had volunteered me to prepare dinner for everyone. With other local relatives, there would be 10 at the table. Now, I like the out-of-town relatives, and wanted to be able to spend some time with them, so I wanted the meal to be a no-brainer and not require a lot of attention. It's Fall, and the days are getting cold, so Pot Roast seemed like a good option. Here's the recipe I used. I cooked this in one of those old-fashioned big roaster ovens, which I've owned for decades. Everyone should own one.
Ingredients
Two 3.5 lb. Boneless Chuck Roasts - Not the expensive ones...any will do. Choose ones with not too much fat.
30 medium red potatoes - three per person. Some will just eat two, and others will eat four. Cut them in half, lengthwise. Don't peel.
2-3 lb. Medium Carrots - Cut into three inch lengths and don't pare them.
1 Big bunch of Celery - Cut the entire bunch into three inch lengths. Include any leafy parts.
4 Large White Onions - Quarter these lengthwise after peeling.
2 Small Heads White Cabbage - Cut in half, lengthwise, then cut each half into thirds, lengthwise. Discard loose leaves. Retain the thick part at the base of the cabbages to keep leaves together.
1 tsp. salt or to taste
2 tbs. Italian Seasoning
Coarsely chopped garlic, if liked, to taste.
Coarse ground pepper to taste.
4 cups water.
1/4 cup vegetable oil.
Wine Pairing: For this hearty meal, I recommend a big, fat, luscious Merlot or Syrah. You want it to have lots of fruit and less tannin. It's an unsophisticated meal and deserves an unsophisticated big red to go with it.
Preparation
Begin preparations four or five hours before dinner, or even longer, if you wish. It doesn't matter, but you need at least four hours.
Preheat roaster oven to 350 degrees. Pour water into roaster oven. Add salt and italian seasoning.
Dump all vegetables, except cabbage into roaster oven and distribute evenly on bottom.
In large, heavy skillet, brown chuck roasts on both sides on high heat after adding the vegetable oil. The meat will still stick, but never mind. Just use a metal spatula. Do these one at a time, unless you have a really, really large skillet.
Add roasts to roaster oven, putting one on each end, leaving a space between them. Season with pepper.
Add cabbage to the space between the roasts.
The meat goes on top. The meat always goes on top. It shouldn't touch the water.
Cover Roaster oven with lid and go away for an hour. After an hour, turn down temperature to 300 degrees and go away to spend a good long time with guests. Forget about dinner. It's done. Don't worry about timing. It will be ready whenever you are, later. Allow at least four hours from the time you finish preparations. However, if it goes longer than that, it doesn't matter. After four hours, you can reduce the temperature to 200 degrees. Don't pay any attention to this meal. Go enjoy yourself and forget about it. Have some wine and conversation. The aroma of the pot roast and its accompanying vegetables will fill the house. When it's time to eat, people will let you know. Have some more wine and conversation. Enjoy the company.
Service
You'll need one very large platter and one very large shallow bowl, or two large shallow bowls.
Remove roasted meat and place on platter. It will break into chunks. No worries. Just get it out of the roaster and onto the platter. Pretty it won't be. Delicious it will be.
With a slotted spoon, transfer the vegetables into the large shallow bowl or the two smaller bowls. Don't try to separate them. Just put them in there. You can, if you wish, put the cabbage in a separate bowl. That's up to you. In fact, the cabbage is optional. I don't eat it, but some of my wife's family is partial to it. You could also add some turnips, rutabagas, or other root vegetables, if they are liked by the guests. I don't like them, and I haven't asked my wife's family if they like them. I don't care. I don't like them, so I don't add them. Yuck!
Using a ladle, remove some of the broth from the roaster oven and pour over meat and vegetables. No need to thicken it. It's very rich and flavorful, and is good to sop up with bread when the food is gone. Put large serving spoons, etc. on the platters. No knife is required for the meat. It will come apart easily with the serving spoons. No worries.
Take the steaming platters to table, which should already have been set by someone else. You may have to remind someone ahead of time that dinner is ready and that the table needs to be set. You may have to do this more than once. The cook should not set the table. He will be busy transferring food to the platters and bowls.
This meal needs nothing but some rolls or croissants to be complete. Sit down at the table, pour yourself a big glass of wine, and let everyone use their boarding house reach to serve themselves. Once they're done, serve yourself and enjoy. Watch people keep going after more pot roast and vegetables. Watch your relatives stuff themselves with the ultimate comfort food. Hear the silence, as conversation stops while people eat.
After everything is gone, allow others the pleasure of clearing the table and cleaning up the mess. You cooked this well-appreciated meal, after all, slaving as you did for hours in its preparation. Do offer to clean up the roaster oven, though. Put it back in the car. At home, put it on the lawn, and wash it all out the next day.
Bon Appetit!
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