Magic Slow Cooker Pot Roast

This Magic Slow Cooker Pot Roast is just that. Like magic! I wondered and wondered what to name this recipe. I have tried several slow cooker pot roast recipes. Most involve quite a bit of preparation to combat the slow cooker's tendency to create semi-blandness that is to say the least, under-whelming. This recipe is almost like magic, because this roast turns out amazing with almost no effort!

I used to think that the slow cooker was an easy way to great food. Just throw in all the ingredients and whaa laa! As I've become more educated in the world of culinary arts, I have realized that in order to get food that tastes good from a slow cooker, most of the time there is some effort required in the preparation of ingredients beforehand. I have learned that no matter the recipe for pot roast, searing or browning the outside of the roast before slow cooking is necessary for outstanding flavor. The same goes for this recipe as well. But what's nice about this recipe is that's about it. Just a couple of store bought ingredients mixed together to create superior flavor!

It's just a matter of mixing a can of cream of mushroom soup with a package of dry onion soup mix to create a gravy for your roast to cook in. At the end of the day you have an amazingly delicious meal waiting for you. Don't you love recipes like that? With three young kids to take care of, I sure do!

The veggies in this recipe are optional, but I like to throw them in so that I have a complete meal ready at the end of the day. For these photos, I used a bag of mixed potatoes, and a bag of colored carrots, both purchased at Trader Joe's. They can cook right in the gravy. I like to saute up some sliced mushrooms just' cuz I like sauteed mushrooms. And I think the little bits of mushroom in the cream soup are kind of chinsy. But again, even the sauteed mushrooms are optional if you want to skip out on those:0) Anway, try this recipe, I bet it will become your new favorite for Sunday dinner after church!

Magic Slow Cooker Pot Roast

by The Goldilocks Kitchen

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 6 to 10 hours

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Ingredients (6 servings)

• 1 lb. carrots, peeled
• 1 lb. red or mixed small potatoes, cut into 1 inch chunks
• 1 cup sliced white mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 packet of dry onion soup mix
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 4 to 6 lbs beef roast

Instructions

1. In a slow cooker, whisk cream of mushroom soup and onion soup mix packet with 1/2 cup water.

2. In a skillet set to medium heat, saute mushrooms with 1 tbsp. butter until browned and soft. Stir into the cream of mushroom soup mix. Place potatoes and carrots on top.

3. Place one tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large skillet and set to medium high heat.

Pat roast dry with paper towel and season well on all sides with salt and pepper. Place in skillet and cook until well browned on all sides.

4. Place roast on top of vegetables. Set your slow cooker to low, 8 to 10 hours.

5. When slow cooker is done, remove roast and tent with foil to rest for about 15 minutes. Season vegetables with salt and pepper and serve with roast and gravy.

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Herbed Roast Beef

Herbed Roast Beef is a delicious and beautiful center piece to any Sunday dinner or special occasion meal. Stuffed inside with an herb-mixture full of flavor, it is also coated on the outside with an herbed butter that melts into the seasoned meat. What's even better is this recipe is perfect for dressing up a cheaper cut of beef, saving you money.

The roast is sliced into horizontally and opened like a book. Now before you start slicing, make sure you orient your piece of meet so that you are slicing 'with' the grain for this step. When you're ready to serve this roast, you will want to slice 'against' the grain so it will be extra tender. A mixture of Thyme, Parsley, shallot, Olive oil and Dijon mustard is spread out all over the inside and the meat is 'closed' and tied with kitchen twine. Be sure to leave at least 1/2 inch of meat to act as a 'hinge'; don't slice all the way through. Then the meat is seasoned well with salt an pepper. At this point it's already looking good and it hasn't even been roasted yet!

The prepared roast will need to marinate for at least an hour, but I would recommend overnight to really let all the delicious flavors permeate the meat. Before placing it in the oven, the roast is seared in a pan to create a delicious crust and hold in all the juices as it cooks. It's slow roasted at a low temperature to your desired level of doneness, usually between 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

After removing the roast from the oven, spread the herb butter all over the top of the roast and let it melt in while the roast 'rests' for about 20 minutes. This will allow the juices to settle into the meat so your roast is nice and moist. (I moved mine from the carving board to a serving platter for the photos, leaving the juices behind. Trust me, this roast is juicy!)  This roast will make a beautiful center piece for any occasion. Enjoy!

Equipment Needed: Kitchen twine and a roasting pan with a V-rack that fits inside.

This recipe adapted from: Cooks Country magazine.

Herbed Roast Beef

by The Goldilocks Kitchen

Prep Time: 30 minutes plus overnight

Cook Time: 1 1/2 to 2 hours

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Ingredients (8 to 10)

• 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1 (4 lbs) beef roast, fat trimmed
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon pepper

Instructions

1. Combine the chopped parsley, thyme and shallot in a bowl. Scoop out two tablespoons of the herb mixture and transfer them to another bowl; adding the mustard and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Stir to combine. Add the softened butter to the first bowl of herbs and stir with a fork to combine.

2. Combine the salt and pepper in a small bowl. Following the photos above, slice horizontally through the roast to butterfly it. Sprinkle about half the salt and pepper inside. Spread the herb mustard mix on one interior side of the meat. 'Close' the meat, and tie tightly with kitchen twine. Sprinkle the rest of the salt and pepper all over the top, bottom and sides of the roast, rubbing it in a bit if necessary. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

3. Move an oven rack to the middle position and set your oven to heat to 275 degrees F. Set a large skillet over medium high heat and add the remaining oil. Remove the roast from the fridge and pat dry with paper towels. When the oil is just to smoking, place the roast in the skillet and brown well on all sides, using kitchen tongs to rotate the roast. Then place the roast in a V-rack set in a roasting pan, and roast in the oven for 1 and 1/2 hours (for medium-rare) or 2 hours for medium.

4. Transfer the roast to a cutting/carving board, spread the herb butter mixture on top, cover with foil and let it rest for about 20 minutes. Remove the kitchen twine and slice roast crosswise with the grain into thin slices (1/4 inch) and serve.

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Steak de Burgo

If you're like me, I really like to sink my teeth into a great steak now and again. Now, think of the best steak you've ever had and the tender juicy meat with the mouthwatering flavor of flame grilled deliciousness...
Ah. Stake de Burgo. A recipe you'll go to time and again when you want to treat yourself to steak at home. You will love it's simplicity, and feel like a pro chef every time you make it. I know I do :0)

My husband's plate featuring Steak de Burgo. This steak is cooked medium well. See how dark the char crust is?

The ingredients are simple and fresh and frankly, indulgent. Fresh herbs in a buttery sauce with a bit of heavy cream top off your flame grilled, or pan fried slab of perfection.
Every once in a while I enjoy getting out of the kitchen and heading for fine dining. It's nice to be treated to a great meal without the work. But I have never, I repeat never, had a steak as good as this at a restaurant. If you try this recipe at least once you will fall in love with it!

My plate featuring Steak de Burgo. The rib-eye steak shown here is cooked rare, much lighter char that shown above.

This is definitely a recipe in which you want to have all ingredients prepared before hand. I like to place a teaspoon of salt and freshly ground pepper in a small bowl before working with raw meat. Then I can pinch the salt and pepper out and apply it to the stake quickly without contaminating my salt and pepper shakers, or stopping to wash my hands.  Always pat meat dry with paper towels before frying or grilling. The moisture from the packaging will steam your meat and not allow it to reach an optimum browning temperature (no crust=no flavor)!  Remember, no color no flavor...

Don't have a grill handy? No problem! Begin by heating a large skillet and 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil on the stove. Once steaks are seasoned with oregano mixture, pan fry them to desired doneness. Remove, and proceed with adding the garlic right into the same pan, without adding any additional vegetable oil. Continue to build your sauce, scraping up the browned bits in the pan. The brown bits are called 'fond' and add tons of flavor to your sauce!

Steak de Burgo

by The Goldilocks Kitchen

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

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Ingredients (4 servings)

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
• 4 Rib-eye or strip steaks of similar thickness
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and halved
• 1/3 cup chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon of white wine vinegar
• 5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced into cubes
• 1 tablespoon of heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh basil
• 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh oregano

Instructions

1. Preheat your grill. Mix dried oregano, garlic powder, a pinch of salt and a pinch of freshly ground black pepper in a small bowl. After you have dried your steaks with paper towels, rub the mixture all over the meat. Place them on the grill and cook to desired doneness. Remove from heat and tent with foil. While the steaks rest, proceed to step 2.

2. In a large skillet, heat vegetable oil on medium heat.You'll know it's hot when the oil spreads out over the bottom. Add garlic cloves and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Carefully stir in the chicken broth and vinegar. It will boil immediately upon entering the pan so be careful. Now whisk in butter, cream, basil and fresh oregano and cook about 2 minutes. Pluck out the garlic and discard it. Season with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over your steaks and serve.

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