Cheater Pot Roast

I’m pleased to announce that this recipe is the first in my new Teen Girl Takeover series. I am currently in California for an extended visit with my good friends Roger and Fernanda Barlow. Their oldest daughter, Giovanna, loves to cook and is keenly interested in learning more. Naturally, we hit it off right away. By the time we broke out the cameras last night, we had already created several dinners together. But this is the first time we videotaped our work. Now… on to the food!

Pot Roast is an American classic. There are hundreds of variations, depending on your family tree, and they’re all pretty darn good. The problem is that, for many people, it seems a bit daunting because there are so many ingredients. Fear not! There is hope for me and you. It’s name is Cheater Pot Roast.

The video shows you several short cuts that, taken together, make pot roast a breeze. Just cut up your vegetables, put everything in a roasting bag, and bake it for a while. That’s really all there is to it.

Follow along as I show Giovanna how to make this easy-as-falling-down Comfort Food recipe.

Ingredients:

Beef roast – any size OK, but for this recipe, I used a 3 lb. roast.
2 large baking potatoes – washed and cut into bite size pieces
1 large onion – cut into large pieces
1 bag baby carrots
2 Tbs flour
2 packages of onion soup mix
1 can peas (optional)
1 – 1-1/2 cups water

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325.

Cut potatoes and onion into bite size pieces.

Add flour to roasting bag. Pinch the top closed, then toss flour to coat sides of bag. This helps prevent sticking.

Place roast in bag. Again, pinch the top closed and shake to coat roast with remaining flour.

Place bag in large baking dish.

Add vegetables (except peas) to bag, then soup mix, then water. Twist top of bag to close securely. Turn bag over several times to dissolve soup mix in water and to coat all ingredients.

Secure top of bag with supplied twist tie. Using a small knife, make 5-6 slits (approximately 1/2 inch) in top of bag to ventilate steam.

Place baking dish in oven, making certain that no part of the bag comes in contact with any heating element.

Bake at 325 for two hours.

Shortly before the roast is done, open top of bag (I usually cut it with scissors) and add peas. Fold top of bag to close as much as possible and return to oven for last few minutes.

When done, remove from oven. Carefully slice open the bag, down one side. Lift the opposite bottom corner so that all ingredients pour into the baking dish. BE CAREFUL. Your are working with VERY hot food!

Cut roast into pieces and serve with vegetables. Pour some of the gravy over everything.

This time around, we served the pot roast with extra wide egg noodles. (I prefer dumplings, which are even larger, but the store was out of them.) You can also serve with rice, or with no starch, since you’ve got potatoes in there. Sometimes, I’ll serve it in a bowl with a batch of home made biscuits. It’s all up to you.

Another thing I’d like to point out is that you can vary the amount and kind of vegetables you use. Some folks like to add celery; some like to add other root vegetables. Personally, I like to add peas so I’ve got a green vegetable in the mix. Again, it’s all up to you. Have fun; experiment and make it your own.

Many thanks to Giovanna for helping out. You can look forward to seeing more of her in the kitchen while I’m visiting her family. Until next time,

Play with your food!

Lane

Did you like this recipe? What recipes would you like to learn? Leave me a comment and tell me your thoughts! (And don’t forget to LIKE this post!) Share it using the tiles below.

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