Beef

Classic Pot Roast

The reason people buy a slow cooker in the first place. Meat, carrots, potatoes, and a gravy that makes itself.

What goes in

• 3 1/2 lb beef chuck roast
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 lb baby potatoes, halved
• 4 large carrots, cut into chunks
• 1 yellow onion, cut into wedges
• 3 cups beef broth
• 2 tbsp tomato paste · 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed · 2 bay leaves
• 2 tsp salt · 1 tsp black pepper · 1 tsp dried thyme

Stir in at the end

• 3 tbsp cornstarch
• 3 tbsp cold water

How to make it

1. Pat the roast dry and season it hard with the salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a heavy pan and sear the roast 4 minutes a side until deeply browned. Put it in the pot.
2. Pour a cup of the broth into the hot pan and scrape up every brown bit, then tip it over the roast.
3. Pack the potatoes, carrots and onion around the meat. Add the garlic, bay leaves and thyme.
4. Whisk the tomato paste and Worcestershire into the rest of the broth and pour it in. Lid on.
5. Low 9 hours or high 5 hours, until the roast shreds under a fork.
6. Lift the meat and vegetables out. Turn to high, whisk the cornstarch slurry into the liquid and cook 15 minutes for gravy. Pull out the bay leaves before serving.