It’s Raining, It’s Pouring the Instant Pot is Not Snoring, it’s Cooking Pot Roast
It’s chilly, it’s raining, it’s just downright dreary. How to combat this scenario?
Couch potato: Snuggle on the couch and watch a movie or read a book. What, couch too far? Ok, stay in bed with a good book and a cup of tea.
Kitchen Diva: It’s the holidays, you’re supposed to be filling the house with the aroma of butter, cinnamon, sugar and all things delicious. Let’s get ready to BBAAAKKKKEEEEE.
Outdoor Warrior: Put on those stomping boots and raingear and hit those puddles!
Ok, I’m only feeling Option 1 or 2.
So, I decided on doing a combo, I spent the day baking cookies, cruising the internet and watching Netflix. Right around 5pm my stomach grumbled and sent a signal to my brain “what’s for dinner?”
Here is the criteria for today’s dinner: it should be easy to make, comforting and of course delicious. I pull out my Instant Pot, check off easy. Take out the chuck roast I had bought the day before, check off comforting. Rummage through my crisper and pantry and pull out onions, carrots, potatoes, check off delicious.
Yep, pot roast on a rainy, dreary day…sounds like a plan, Stan. Sitting down at 6:30 to dinner. Yahoo, thanks Instant Pot.
What’s better than pot roast for dinner? Pot roast the next day!
Pot Roast a la Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 1 3-pound chuck roast
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/4 cup dry red wine
- 3 cups beef stock
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 1/2 pounds baby red potatoes
- 4 large carrots cut diagonally into 2-inch pieces
- 1/2 pound fresh assorted mushrooms sliced, optional
- 2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1-2 tablespoons soy sauce or fish sauce optional kicks up the flavor, check for saltiness before adding
Instructions
- Set a 6-qt Instant Pot® to the high saute setting.
- Season beef with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Heat oil; add beef and cook until evenly browned, about 2-3 minutes per side; set aside.
- Add onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in garlic and tomato paste until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir in red wine, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Stir in beef stock, Worcestershire, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, potatoes, carrots and mushrooms. Top with beef. Select manual setting; adjust pressure to high, and set time for 60 minutes. When finished cooking, quick-release pressure according to manufacturer’s directions.
- Remove beef, potatoes and carrots from the Instant Pot®; shred beef, using two forks.
- In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and 1/4 cup cold water; set aside.
- Select high sauté setting. Bring to a boil; stir in cornstarch mixture and cook, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened, about 2-3 minutes. If the mixture is too thick, add more beef stock as needed until desired consistency is reached. If using mushrooms, sauce may be a bit thin, reduce before adding cornstarch slurry.
- Serve beef, potatoes and carrots with juices immediately accompanied by rice or buttered noodles or a nice crusty bread to sop up the sauce.