Pot Roast

Last night for dinner, I made Pot Roast. Well, technically, yesterday at noon. It's a crock-pot meal. This is truly the easiest recipe on earth and I got it from my lovely mother-in-law. (She is great.) While I can't tell you what cut of meat makes the best roast, I can tell you the word "roast" is in the title. Sirloin, Bottom, Round, Top, who knows, I just buy what's on sale. Then buy a jar or two of brown gravy, depending on how big your roast is. I usually get the smallest I can find since I'm just making it for 2 adults and only need one jar of gravy. Then buy potatoes and veggies - I like carrots and green beans, some also like onions. Frozen bag of mixed veggies works too. At home, season the meat with salt and pepper. If you have time and energy, sear the meat in a pan on med-hi until brown on all sides to "lock-in flavor" (Food Network Tip). Yesterday I had neither time nor energy and the thought of getting another pan dirty was not worth it. There is not a huge difference in taste. So then, I take out the potatoes. At the store, I knew I had just bought a 5-lb bag of potatoes last week so I didn't get any. You may know where this is going. The potatoes were sprouting! Well, I cannot run to the store (when you have three little ones, there's no such thing as "running to the store" - it's a major trip not matter what) and I cannot make anything else for dinner because if I didn't make the roast last night, it would go bad. So I cut off the sprouts and peeled the skins and cut off any brownish bits. They smelled okay, so I tossed them in the pot and covered everything with the gravy. I set the crock pot on low and 5 hours later I added the frozen mixed veggies and a couple of hours later we ate! (7pm) The meat was tougher than I wanted, but it was edible and that's my main goal. The girls ate leftover fettucine alfredo. Usually I will serve them the potatoes and veggies but last night I figured I'd give them a break.

Recipe Summary:
1 Beef Roast (small)
1 Jar of Brown Gravy
6 Medium Potatoes (any kind)
1 bag frozen mixed veggies

Season beef with salt and pepper. Sear on all sides. Put in crock pot. Cut potatoes into cubes, add to crock pot. Cover with gravy. Set on low, about 5-6hrs for small roast. A hour before eating, add frozen veggies. (If using raw veggies, add with potatoes.)

Lessons Learned:
1. Before going to the store, check the ingredients you have on hand so you don't buy what you already have and you buy fresh ingredients if what you have is bad.
2. If you have to use sprouted potatoes, cut off the bad bits and they might be ok. (but if you get sick, don't blame me!)