30 December 2012 - A Pot Roast to Go With Archer?

Eatcher Veggies!

Note: This post is WAY later than I intended it to be?  Why, because apparently Blogger no longer works well for Internet Explorer.  Sigh.  Thanks be to Chrome.

Have you ever watched Archer?  If so, do you feel as guilty as I do for finding it so funny?

Anyway, the Sunday before New Year's found The CEO and I watching Archer on the sofa.  I wanted to make something for dinner and we actually had some time for slow cooking.  Having not tried out the actual slow cooking function of the Ninja, I decided to give a pot roast a whirl.  I had one.  It was frozen solid.  So I threw it in a bowl of hot water to let it thaw a bit. 

Confession: this roast was still mostly frozen when I started and it worked out well fine  OK .

But I am telling tales and I really should be telling you how to make this pot roast.  Right.

So.

Turn the Ninja on Stovetop High and pour in about 1/8 cup olive oil.

Add in the pot roast and cook for five minutes on each side, letting it get all brown and seal in those juices.  You can see I used a chuck roast but you can use whatever you want.  I wouldn't go too big, though.  Probably no more than 4-5 lbs.

When done, remove the beef from the pot to rest.

Then, add another 1/8 cup olive oil, some carrots (I used 5 but it isn't an exact science), some chopped onion (I used pearls, use what you like) and 3 tablespoons of garlic (or less if you're prudish) to the pan and saute for about 10 minutes...or until the veggies are slightly tender.

Note: You could probably put some celery or whatever else you like with your roast here.  I am not celery's biggest fan so I didn't.

After that, add in 1 large can of tomato sauce (you could use actual tomatoes too if you are so inclined), 1 cup of red wine, 1 cup of beef broth, 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, and 3 sprigs of fresh thyme to the pot.  Bring it all to a boil.

When it is nice and boiling, add your meat back to the pot and switch the Ninja to Slow Cook Low.  Set the timer for 6 hours and cover.  Walk Away!

See, it's in there.  Now walk away and watch some Archer!

Note: this can take up to 8 hours depending on the circumstances and your meat.  6 was PLENTY for mine.

Next, remove the beef from the pot and fish out the veggies as much as you can.

The beef looks like this...the dogs will be looking hungry...ignore them.

 Then, and I didn't take a picture of this, you mix 1 tablespoon of softened butter and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch together to form a paste.  Add this to the gravy in the Ninja, stir well, and cook until the gravy is thickened.  Serve the gravy with the carrots (below) and the meat (above).

The verdict was mixed.  I found the meat to be unbelievably tender and I think The CEO would agree with that assessment although he felt like perhaps parts of it were tougher than others (maybe the frozen bits?) but everything I got was delicious and slipped on through Mr. Lap Band.

I found the sauce to be a little sweeter almost than we would normally have so I might adjust the spice if I made this again.

But the worst part was the consistency of the carrots.  If you read this blog regularly, you know that The CEO is a fan of crisp veggies and these were NOT.  Perhaps because they get sauteed first?  I dunno if that is necessary with the carrots and would maybe add them like 3 hours in if you like your carrots more crunchy.  So while this was really good and showed me that the Ninja can rock a roast, it isn't our favorite.  The search for the perfect pot roast continues, so PLEASE send me your recipes if you have one that doesn't involve cream of mushroom soap (The CEO isn't having that).

Here's the plated version of the roast, which you might love...

This is another recipe from the Ninja Cookbook, FYI and you can download the recipe card here.

NoM!

~EK

Up Next:  Hmmmm...EK goes offroading and makes NY strip in the Ninja (plus an epically epic garlic butter you won't want to miss...I swear)