Peppercorn-Dusted Pot Roast

Anticipating the latest Cooking Club magazine, I went to their website to see if the latest issue was out yet. Sure enough, I hadn't received mine, but new recipes were posted. For a pepper fanatic, this one was a no-brainer.

Peppercorn-Dusted Pot Roast
adapted from Cooking Club of America

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1 1/2 tsp multicolored peppercorns
1/2 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1 (2 1/2- to 3-lb.) boneless beef chuck roast
1 tbsp peanut oil
2/3 c red wine such as a 187 mL bottle of Merlot
1 1/3 c water, divided
4 large red potatoes (about 1 lb.), cut into sixths
1 (8-oz.) pkg. button mushrooms, halved
4 oz. shallots (3 to 4 large), quartered
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp all-purpose flour

Heat oven to 350°F. Crush peppercorns; combine them with thyme and salt in small bowl.

If you don't have a mortar and pestle, you can crush your peppercorns by throwing them in a bag and beating them with something such as a small pot or meat tenderizer.

Pat beef dry; sprinkle with peppercorn mixture.

Meanwhile, heat Dutch oven over medium-high heat until hot. Add oil; heat until hot.

Cook beef 10 minutes or until well-browned, turning once. Set beef aside.


Add wine to Dutch oven, stirring to scrape up any browned bits from bottom of skillet.

Add 2/3 cup of the water to Dutch oven and stir to combine. Return beef and any accumulated juices to Dutch oven.

Cover and bake 2 hours.

Notice no wine is left in the bottom of the Dutch oven. What wine wasn't blown onto the sides of the pot was sucked into the beef.

Just an FYI, the beef was fork-tender and very tasty.

Arrange potatoes, mushrooms and shallots around beef. Bake, covered, an additional 30 to 45 minutes or until beef and vegetables are tender.

Remove beef and vegetables; cover loosely with foil. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

Whisk flour and remaining 2/3 cup water in small bowl until smooth.

Whisk tomato paste into cooking liquid in Dutch oven; bring to a boil over medium heat.

Slowly whisk flour mixture into sauce. Boil 2 to 3 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring constantly.

Serve with beef and vegetables.

I wound up with a full cup of gravy.


I haven't made pot roast very often and honestly, it's because my results were never that great. They were usually edible, but never something to rave about. This one came a lot closer to what I think ideal pot roast should be. Looking back on previous trials, I believe the two-hour baking time in wine was key to a tasty, tender pot roasted beef. Now I understand why some folks think pot roast is the cat's meow.

That said, the title of the recipe isn't kidding: the beef is dusted with pepper. I had expected more of a peppery kapow! and was disappointed that most of the zing was in the sauce. I did really appreciate that the sauce was on the side and I could dab a little here and there for flavor without my beef swimming around in sauce.

The sauce, though, was slammin'. It was rich without being ridiculous, and again, I liked that I could apply it sparingly or liberally. The double-concentrate tomato paste made itself known without being overbearing.

The vegetables were tender but not mushy. I don't think there were enough to adequately provide service for the six the recipe indicated.

Overall, I call this one a definite win. It is simple to execute; the majority of mise en place occurred while the beef was in the oven or resting, so no time "lost". I'd certainly recommend this recipe, but for those hungry for pepper, I'd use more. And I'd go a little heavier on the vegetables too.

The best thing about this is that the leftovers are gonna be awesome!

Cost:

• multicolored peppercorns: $0.50
• boneless beef chuck roast: $8.76
• 187 mL bottle of Merlot: $1.50
• red potatoes: $1.51
• button mushrooms: $1.99
• shallots: $1.17
• tomato paste: $0.39

Total: $15.82 or $2.64 for each of six servings. The most expensive pot roast per serving I've prepared yet and it's worth the expense.

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