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I love a big pan of meat.  I like to pretend that I make meatloaf for Mr. Darcy on his birthday because HE really likes it.  But the  truth is that if he tried to pick something else, I’d probably find a way to make him change to meatloaf instead.  It’s really the same when it comes to roast, beef brisket, pork chops..well, I could go on but I won’t.

Though I’ve come a long way(if I do say so myself) on my culinary journey, roasting meats still daunts me.  Images of tough, dry chicken and hard beef spring to mind.  About 5 years ago I started cooking a roast with veggies in the crockpot and it’s come out tender every time, so I thought I might get away with taking that route-forever.

But still it seemed rather shameful to be at a loss for roast all because of my broken crockpot.

Today I threw all caution to the wind and tried this recipe for Mom’s Pot Roast from Fresh Every Day by Sara Foster.  Sprigs of rosemary combined with red wine and tender meat-I decided to sacrifice my time and energy and make it for Mr. Darcy, really, I did, selflessly, for him.

The good news-I can lift my head high! Moist, tender, rosemary infused meat and vegetables-and no crockpot in sight.

This is for you honey.  Would you like it for your birthday?

Mom’s Pot Roast
from Fresh Every Day by Sara Foster
serves 4-6

• 1 3-pound beef chuck roast, at room temperature
• salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 2 tbs canola or safflower oil
• 1 large onion, peeled and cut into 8 wedges
• 6 carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 6 fresh thyme sprigs
• 6 fresh rosemary sprigs
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 4 to 6 cups beef broth
• 1 pound small red-skinned or fingerling potatoes

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Season the roast generously on all sides with salt and pepper.
3. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or deep, oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the roast and sear to a rich, brown color, about 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Transfer the roast to a plate and set aside.
4. Add the onion, 2 of the carrots, and the herbs to the pot you cooked the roast in.  Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are light brown and the onion is soft., 3 to 4 minutes.   Return the roast to the pan, add the wine and enough broth to nearly cover the roast, and bring to a low boil over medium heat.
5. Cover with a lid or aluminum foil and place the meat in the oven to roast for 2 hours 30 minutes. Add the potatoes and the remaining carrots and continue roasting for another 40 to 60 minutes, until the meat breaks apart easily and the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork.
6. Transfer the roast to a shallow serving bowl and cover loosely with foil to keep warm.  Remove the herb stems from the pot or skillet. Use a large spoon to skim the fat.  Pour the juices and vegetables over the roast, and serve warm.

Aimee’s Notes:  Rather than spend 7 dollars just on the herbs I cheated and bought the fresh rosemary and used dried thyme.  Though the rosemary gave the dish a wonderful aroma and flavor, I’m sure it would have been doubly flavorful with fresh thyme as well.  Do what your budget allows.  I cut up larger potatoes since that’s what I had on hand, but I’ve always wanted to try the fingerlings.  The roast was done before the time suggested in the directions, but didn’t suffer from slow-cooking a little longer while the veggies finished tenderizing.

Why is this called lasagna you ask? Aimee, where are the noodles, where is the cheese-it doesn’t even look stacked like lasagna? All very relevant questions.  When I first had this dish at my friend Kristen’s house it was perfectly stacked in layers and presented in a nice square on my plate.  The square part didn’t work out quite so smoothly for me this first time, but it was absolutely delicious even if not geometrically pleasing!(update: now I know, it’s white rice that makes the nice square, we used brown rice)

The main elements of this dish are rice, beef, and fresh salsa.  When I called Kristen to get the recipe she yelled to her daugher, “How did I make that mexican lasagna dish?”  That’s right, it’s one of those kinds of recipe, a spur of the moment piece of genius with no definite measurements.  But I did my best to translate it into a recipe and I think it came out just as good, and the kids all had thirds.

Kristen’s Mexican Lasagna

• 4-6 cups rice(brown or white)
• 1 pound ground beef
• Chopped onion
• Chopped Pepper
• Cumin
• Salt/Pepper
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• Fresh Tomato Salsa
• Fresh Cilantro(optional)
• Shredded Cheddar Cheese(optional)

1)If you are preparing your own fresh salsa with nature’s bounty, complete this step first.
2)Cook rice according to directions, adding in 1 cup(or more) salsa to the rice while it’s cooking.
3)Brown beef with peppers, onions, and cumin.  Add in beans, and salt and pepper to taste.
4)Pre-heat oven at 350 degrees, coat 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray.
5)Spread rice in baking dish, press with spoon. Next spread ground beef mixture over rice.  Finally, spoon fresh salsa across ground beef.  Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes.
6)Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, rinse and chop fresh cilantro.  Allow each person to top with cilantro and/or shredded cheese. Enjoy!

Fresh Salsa: Now is a great time to make fresh salsa and it’s not hard, the most time consuming part is chopping the tomatoes.  This is the recipe I used, leaving out the hot peppers.  If you can’t make your own salsa, look for something similiar at the store, especially at stores like Trader Joe’s and Harris Teeter.

Topping it off: Stick to fresh cilantro, it adds an extra layer of zing that just won’t happen with the dried substitute.  Additional fresh salsa with chips make a nice side.

Dairy-Free: I was delighted when I went to my friend’s house and this dish was dairy free without even intending to be.  It has plenty to offer without needing the cheese, but you go ahead and have as much as you like!

Make-ahead: Now that I’ve made this once, I would consider doing a few things the day before.  Cooking the rice and storing in the fridge.  Making the salsa and storing it as well.  Really you could probably assemble this whole dish the day before and have it ready to go for company the next night.  I think the taste was even the better the second night that we re-heated it.