Pot roast is such a hearty and cozy meal that just seems to make life better on a cold winter day. It is definitely one of my all-time favorite comfort foods. The addition of the cognac and red wine in this recipe gives the pot roast an added depth of flavor that I just love!
If you really want to impress, you can serve this pot roast with a side of tangy, creamy horseradish sauce for dipping (click for my homemade Traditional Horseradish Sauce recipe).
BEST WINE AND COGNAC TO USE FOR POT ROAST
For the best flavor, I recommend using a good quality cognac (a small bottle of VSOP will do) and a red Burgundy wine (such as a pinot noir). Remember: whenever cooking with alcohol, the dish will taste awful until all of the alcohol has cooked off; allow the pot roast to cook some before tasting the cooking liquid for seasonings.
If you choose to leave out the alcohol, you can replace both the wine and/or cognac with an equal amount of beef stock — preferably homemade, which will improve the pot roast’s depth of flavor (click for my Homemade Beef Stock recipe).
MAKE IT AHEAD
Pot roast can easily be made the day before. In fact, some would argue it gets even better the longer it sits! Just allow everything to cool completely before chilling it, covered, in the fridge. When ready to serve, simply reheat it over a low heat.
Start by preheating your oven to 275℉.
Dry the roast off with paper towels, and then season liberally with kosher salt. Set aside for 10 minutes.
In the meantime, heat a large pot or Dutch oven over moderate heat. Add in 1 Tablespoon of olive oil, along with the bacon. Cook the bacon for about 10 minutes, until it is crisp and the fat has rendered. Remove the bacon pieces from the pan using a slotted spoon and set aside.
Next, cook the beef roast in the rendered baking fat for about 3 to 5 minutes per side, until it is nicely browned on all sides. I find it easiest to rotate the meat using a large pair of tongs. Once browned, remove the roast from the pot and set aside on a plate.
Add in 2 Tablespoons of butter and heat until the foaming subsides. Then, add in the potatoes, along with the chopped carrots and quartered onions. Season with 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper, and brown the vegetables for 10 minutes.
Stir in the all-purpose flour until all of the vegetables are evenly coated, and then continue to cook for two minutes.
Add in the cognac and scrape up any bits that may be stuck to the bottom of the pot.
Next, add in the cooked bacon and the browned roast. Add in the tomato paste, red wine, minced garlic, fresh thyme, bay leaf, and enough beef stock so that the beef is at least 2/3 covered.
Increase the heat and cook until the liquid in the pot begins to simmer. Then, cover and place the roast into your preheated oven for 2 ½ to 3 hours. Test the meat with a fork to make sure that it is done and tender. If the meat feels tough, you can leave it in the oven and test again in another 30 minutes.
When the meat is done, remove the meat and all of the veggies from the cooking liquid using a strainer or slotted spoon and set aside on a plate.
Place the pot back on the stove and simmer over medium-high heat until the sauce has reduced and thickened. Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary. Note that if you want your sauce thicker without reducing it any further, you can add in a slurry of 2 teaspoons of arrowroot starch or cornstarch and 1 teaspoon of beef stock or water.
Once the sauce is at your desired consistency, place the roast and veggies back into the pot and cook on low for 5 more minutes. Serve hot.
Elevated Pot Roast (Boeuf à la Mode)
Ingredients
- 3 lbs beef roast
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3 strips bacon, cut into ½" pieces
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 medium carrots, washed, peeled, and roughly chopped into thirds
- 2 medium onions, peeled and quartered
- 1.5 lbs (680g) small yellow potatoes, washed (optional)
- 1 tsp kosher salt (plus more for seasoning roast; I use Diamond Crystal)
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cognac
- 1 ½ cups red wine
- 2 cups beef stock (possibly more; click here for my Homemade Beef Stock recipe)
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
- 4 sprigs of fresh thyme, whole
- 1 bay leaf, whole
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 275℉.
- With paper towels, pat roast dry. Season generously with salt. Set aside.3 lbs beef roast
- Heat olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over moderate heat. Cook bacon until it is crisp and fat has rendered (about 10 minutes). With a slotted spoon, remove bacon while leaving fat in pot. Set cooked bacon aside.3 strips bacon, cut into ½" pieces1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Brown the roast in olive oil and bacon fat until nicely browned on all sides (about 3 to 5 minutes per side). Remove roast from pot and set aside on a plate.
- Add in butter and heat until foaming subsides. Add in chopped carrots, quartered onions, and potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Brown vegetables for 10 minutes.2 Tbsp unsalted butter3 medium carrots, washed, peeled, and roughly chopped into thirds2 medium onions, peeled and quartered1.5 lbs (680g) small yellow potatoes, washed1 tsp kosher salt½ tsp ground black pepper
- Stir in flour until all vegetables are evenly coated. Cook for 2 minutes.2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- Add in cognac, scraping up any bits on the bottom of the pot.¼ cup cognac
- Add in cooked bacon, followed by the browned roast. Add in wine, beef stock, tomato paste, minced garlic, fresh thyme, and the bay leaf. (Add in more beef stock, as needed, to cover ⅔ of the chicken). Bring the liquid to a simmer.4 sprigs of fresh thyme, whole1 Tbsp tomato paste1 ½ cups red wine2 cups beef stock2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced1 bay leaf, whole
- Cover and cook in preheated oven for 2 ½ to 3 hours.
- When done, using a slotted spoon, remove roast and vegetables from pot and set them aside on a plate.
- Set pot back over medium-high heat. Boil cooking liquid until it reduces and thickens into a sauce. Taste for seasoning.Note: To thicken sauce even more (without reducing it), combine 2 tsp of cornstarch (or arrowroot starch) with 1 tsp of beef stock (or water) into a slurry and add into sauce.
- Set roast and vegetables back in pot. Cook on low for 5 minutes. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Make it ahead: Pot roast can very easily be made the day before. Just allow to cool completely before chilling it, covered, in the refrigerator. To reheat, simply set over low heat until warmed through.
- Serving Suggestion: I recommend serving this pot roast with a side of my creamy, tangy Traditional Horseradish Sauce (Sauce au Raifort) (click for recipe). It is perfect for dipping!
