Recipe - Best Pot Roast

 Because of food allergies, we've had to adjust and adapt recipes at our house. And because of that, I've found the best way to make a tender, juicy, flavorful pot roast. Trust me, this is delicious and very easy.

Best Pot Roast with Gravy

2-3 lb beef roast (a cut with more fat will be a better pot roast but any cut will work)

1 c. prune juice

1 c. sliced onions

1 t. salt

1/2 t. ground black pepper

1/2 t. powdered ginger

3 T. flour

1/3 c. cold water

Lightly grease the sides of a covered roaster pan. This helps make clean up easier later.

Spread onions in the bottom of the pan. Place roast, fattiest side up, on top. Sprinkle with the seasonings, then pour the prune juice over top.

Cover and roast in a 325°F oven for 1 1/2 hours. Baste with the juices in the pan and check doneness - it should shred easily and be tender. Roast for another 30-60 minutes. Rule of thumb is about 45 minutes per pound of roast.

When it is done, remove from the pan to a platter, cover with foil, and let rest. Strain onions out of juices and place with roast. KEEP THE JUICES! Add enough water to measure 2 c. of drippings. Make sure you scrape the dark stuff out of the roaster pan. It's great for flavor. Put the drippings into a saucepan.

Stir the flour into the 1/3 c. cold water until it is smooth. Stir it into the drippings. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. It should thicken. Boil and stir for one minute. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.

Shred the roast into chunks. Serve with plenty of vegetables, rice or mashed potatoes, and the tasty gravy you just made.

*If you aren't allergic, you can add chopped carrots and celery with the onions.

*A teaspoon of dry mustard powder is also very tasty sprinkled over the roast with the ginger.

Thursday Recipe - German Pot Roast

My kids told me I had to post this recipe so I don't lose it. The meat was tender and flavorful and dinner was a great success. It was also really easy. The slow cooker did most of the work.

German Pot Roast

1 - 1 1/2 lb bottom round steak, thick cut
1/2 c. sliced onion
1 c. baby carrots OR carrot slices
1/4 c. chopped dill pickles
1/2 c. hot water
1 T. beef bouillon
2 T. brown mustard
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. black pepper
dash ground allspice
1 bay leaf

Put steak in bottom of a small crockpot - I used a 1.5 qt pot. The meat should fill the crockpot about 1/3. Put onions and carrots around the sides of the meat. Spread the pickles over the meat. Mix water, bouillon, mustard, salt, pepper, and allspice together; then pour over the meat. Drop in the bay leaf.

Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or high for 3-4 hours, until the carrots are tender and the meat falls apart.

If you want to thicken the gravy -
30 minutes before serving, break the meat into chunks and stir everything gently to mix. Stir 2 T. cornstarch into 1/2 c. cold water until smooth, then stir into the hot gravy in the crockpot. Cover and let cook on high until gravy is thickened.