Slow cooking: Pot roast

Pot roast is one of those dishes that's fantastic for a chilly night, which we're getting pretty much every night in my postdoc city now. I highly recommend fixing a big ol' pot of simple mashed potatoes--with or without skins, but only use milk, butter, and salt during the mashing. You can use leftover mashed potatoes, pot roast, and gravy to make a shepherd's pie :) I'll post that recipe next.

Reagents

• Lean beef roast (mine was ~3.5 lbs)
  
• 2 to 3 large carrots
• 1 to 1-1/2 large onions (preferably sweet)
• 2 c. chicken stock
• 3 to 4 cloves garlic
• kosher salt
  
• freshly ground black pepper
• dried thyme
• olive oil
  
• 1/4 to 1/2 c. water (or possibly dry red wine)

Special equimpent

• Large slow cooker
• Large skillet
  

Protocol

• Cut carrots and onions into large slices/chunks. Slice garlic gloves in half. Set aside.
  
• Place the roast in a large bowl. Coat the roast lightly with olive oil then sprinkle with kosher salt (~2 to 3 t.) and a mixture of freshly ground black pepper and thyme (~2 T. at 5:1 ratio of pepper:thyme).
• Heat a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Once the skillet is hot, sear the roast on all sides, ~2 to 3 min per side. Remove the roast from the pan and set aside.
• Add 1/4 to 1/2 c. water (which I used) or dry red wine (which I think would be pretty fantastic but haven't tried yet) to the pan. Scrape the pan and reduce heat to low.
  
• Stab the top of the roast with a 1-in wide knife 6 to 8 times to a depth of ~1/2 the thickness of the roast. Push pieces of garlic into the holes.
• Add chicken stock to slow cooker. Place roast in cooker. Pour pan juices over the roast. Add carrots and onions to cooker around roast.
• Cook on low for 8 h.
• After roast is finished, transfer it and the vegetables to a large dish or platter and cover with aluminum foil.
• To make gravy: Pour cooking liquid from the slow cooker through a colander/strainer into a small saucepan. Heat over medium-low heat. Mix cornstarch in cold water. Slowly add to cooking liquid and simmer. (The amount of cornstarch you use is dependent on how thick you like your gravy).

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