Classic Pot Roast

Gentle simmering can turn a moderately priced, not-so-tender cut of beef into delicious and tender pot roast. The flavor improves when made ahead.

Makes 8 servings

2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons olive oil
2 pounds bottom or top round boneless beef roast, trimmed of all visible fat
2 onions, finely chopped
1/2 carrot, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh sage, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
6 juniper berries, crushed (optional)
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 cup chopped canned plum tomatoes, with juice
1 cup low-sodium beef broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

1. In a large nonstick saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the roast and brown on all sides, about 6 minutes. Transfer the roast to a plate. Add the onions, carrot, celery, garlic, rosemary, sage, and juniper (if using) to the pan. Saute, stirring constantly, until the vegetables are golden and fragrant, about 10 minutes.
2. Add the wine, turning up the heat slightly and scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Return the roast to the pan and cook 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, stock, salt, and pepper (the liquid should cover only about one-third of the meat); partially cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer gently, turning the meat occasionally, until tender when tested with a fork, about 2 hours.
3. Slice the meat thinly across the grain. Skim the fat from the gravy. Return the meat in the gravy in the pot and reheat over low heat. If you desire a thicker gravy, boil the gravy over high heat, for a minute or two, keeping the sliced meat warm.

Per Serving (2 slices meat with 1/3 cup gravy): 202 Cal, 10 g Fat, 2 g Sat Fat, 1 g Trans Fat, 60 mg Chol, 245 mg Sod, 5 g Carb, 1 g Fib, 7 g Prot, 26 mg Calc.

POINTS value: 5

Tip: If you want to skim a bit more fat from this dish, allow it to cool, then blot the top of the gravy with a few sturdy paper towels.

Comments: The flavor in this turned out really good. We didn't use the juniper and we used dried rosemary and fresh sage. If we did it again, we would do step one normal and then do the rest of the steps in a slow cooker and cook it on low for about eight hours. The two hours was definitely not enough time to make the roast tender. The gravy tasted good over mashed potatoes.