Jar Lunch Pot Roast
The Working Girl’s Lunch Series
Cold weather has at long last arrived, so we’re downsizing our jars, gals. Honestly, a couple of the quart salads were too much for lunchtime for me… and heftier fare? We’re turning to our wide-mouth (easier for filling) pint jars for the foreseeable future.
We’re still going to be filling and beautiful, though – fear not!
I deconstructed this dish for pretty layers and non-mushiness at the time of eating. I also pressure can beef each fall so I have the meat portion of things at the ready, although I’ve included a recipe herein for those of us who are not OCD canners.
This recipe makes 5 pints. You will have leftovers of almost everything, which in my house, is a good thing.
For the Pot Roast:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 °F.
2. Have at room temperature a 2-3 lb. chuck roast you have cut into pieces about the size of the palm of your hand. Pat dry with paper towels – you want the beef to be dry so it sears before braising.
3. Heat 1 T. olive oil in a sauté pan that will accommodate the pieces of beef without crowding. Alternatively, plan to sear the beef in two batches. Sear the pieces of beef in the hot pan until each side is browned, about 3-4 minutes. Remove to rest on a plate.
4. In a Dutch oven, heat 1 T. olive oil and 1 T. butter. Sauté 1 medium onion, finely diced, over medium heat until the onions are transparent. Add ½ t. dried thyme, 1 T. fresh rosemary and 1 T. tomato paste. Arrange the seared pieces of beef to cover the onion mixture and remove from heat.
5. Partially cover the beef – bits and parts should peek through the liquid – with beef broth or a combination of stock and wine.
Cover the Dutch oven and place in the oven to cook for 3 hours. Strain off the liquid and reserve for making gravy. Rest the meat 10 minutes before shredding with two forks… and this whole recipe is lovely to complete the day before because time does lovely things to the flavor of a pot roast that sits overnight.
For the Vegetables:
1. We’re going to mise en place this part, people, and here we go: Peel and slice 5 lg. carrots – set aside. Peel 2 lbs. of Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into roughly 1-inch dice – set aside. Wash and trim 1 lb. green beans – set aside. Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil.
2. Add the potatoes to the boiling water and cook for 10 minutes. Using a large, slotted spoon or fine-mesh sieve, scoop the potatoes out of the water and into a bowl. Add the green beans to the boiling potato water, setting the timer for 7 minutes. To the potatoes, add 2 T. butter, ½ c. heated milk, 1 ½ t. salt and several turns of the pepper mill to them and mash with a potato masher. Set aside.
3. When the green beans are done, remove as you did the potatoes and add the carrots to the hot water. I often have to add more boiling water at this point? Have a kettle ready just in case there’s not enough water left to cover the carrots. Remove the carrots when cooked, discard the vegetable water or save it for stock.
4. Dice 6 oz of whole mushrooms into quarters – slices end up with a consistency that is unflattering to the mushroom experience and if you don’t believe me, go back and look at what Julia Child has to say on the subject!
5. In a nonstick saucepan – one big enough to accommodate the diced mushrooms in one layer – heat 1 T. olive oil and 1 t. butter. Watch carefully for the butter to melt and then stop foaming – but before it burns! – then add the mushrooms. Sauté until browned, about 3 minutes. Set aside.
For the Gravy:
In a small bowl, mash 1 T. butter with 1 T. all-purpose flour until the flour is incorporated. If you made the pot roast the previous day, take the liquid out of the fridge and remove most of the fat that has solidified on top, then. If the dish is still warm, remove most of the fat by skimming it onto a large spoon and discarding. Bring the remaining liquid to a simmer, then whisk in the butter/four mixture. Stir until thickened.
Assembly:
Into each of your 5 wide-mouth jars, layer 2 oz of shredded pot roast, followed by ½ c. cooked green beans, followed by one fifth of your carrots, followed by a generous ½ c. mashed potato. Divide the mushrooms evenly over the potatoes and top each jar with ¼-plus c. gravy. Screw on the lids and refrigerate.
To heat, remove the lids and microwave and zap. Enjoy with an apple or pear for dessert… and as always, be very pleased with yourself for bringing a gorgeous, fortifying lunch for yourself.
Originally posted 2024-11-04 22:18:38.
