braising week

This shortcut pot roast is almost entirely hands-off, and makes lots of leftovers for a hearty winter soup. 

Easy, Melt-in-Your-Mouth Dutch Oven Pot Roast

olive oil

(3 beef chuck roast

onion

low-sodium beef broth

unsalted butter

Yukon gold potatoes

carrots (4 to 5 medium)

red wine vinegar

Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 325°F.

Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add 1 (3 to 4-pound) chuck roast and sear until deep golden-brown on all sides, including the ends, about 5 minutes per side.

Sprinkle the chuck roast with 1 onion soup packet, then pour 2 cups beef broth over the roast. Cut 4 tablespoons unsalted butter into 6 pieces and place on top of the roast. Bring to a simmer.

Cover and braise in the oven for 1 hour and 45 minutes. At this point, the meat should be tender but not falling apart yet. Meanwhile, cut 1 pound Yukon gold potatoes into 2-inch chunks and peel and cut 1 pound carrots crosswise into 2-inch pieces.

Uncover and nestle the carrots and potatoes into the braising liquid around the roast. Cover and braise in the oven until the roast pulls apart easily and the vegetables are tender but not mushy, 1 1/2 to 2 hours more.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the vegetables to a serving platter. Slice the beef into bite-sized pieces, then sprinkle the beef with 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar. Reserve 2 cups each of the shredded beef and the cooked vegetables for the soup before serving the remainder. 

Using heavy cream as the braising liquid brings out Brussels sprouts&#x27; inherent sweetness, and the cream itself reduces into a thick, ivory-colored glaze that coats the sprouts.

Creamy Braised Brussels Sprouts

Brussels sprouts

heavy cream

lemon

Working Ahead: These can be prepared a couple of hours ahead up through Step 3. Just leave the pan covered and out of the way at room temperature. To finish, remove the lid and heat over medium till warm, then add the lemon juice and season to taste. The cream will have thickened up by itself and you won’t need to boil it to do so.Recipe by Molly Stevens, All About Braising (W.W. Norton 2004)

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Molly Stevens

Step 1

Trimming the Brussels sprouts: Trim the very base of each sprout with a sharp paring knife and then peel off any ragged outer leaves. Cut the Brussels sprouts through the core into halves. If the sprouts are large, cut each half into thirds, or, if they are smallish, cut each half again in half to make quarters. Ultimately, you want little wedges that are no more than 1/2 inch across.

Step 2

Browning the Brussels sprouts: Melt the butter in a large skillet (12-inch) over medium-high heat. When the foaming stops, add the Brussels sprouts and season with salt and white pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sprouts begin to brown in spots, about 5 minutes.

Step 3

The braise: Pour in the cream, stir, cover, and reduce to a slow simmer. Braise over low heat until the sprouts are tender enough to be pierced easily with the tip of a sharp knife, 30 to 35 minutes. The cream will have reduced some and turned a fawn color.

Step 4

The finish: Remove the cover, stir in a generous squeeze of lemon juice, and taste for seasoning. Let simmer, uncovered, for just a few minutes to thicken the cream to a glaze that coats the sprouts. Serve hot or warm.

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The most viewed braising week recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

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Easy, Melt-in-Your-Mouth Dutch Oven...

Creamy Braised Brussels Sprouts

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