My husband thinks he doesn’t like roast.
And, just like generations of my foremothers, I have set myself a quest to help him realize he likes roast. And specifically that he likes my roast.
We have been married for seven years. I have been on the quest for about six of those years. (I was nicer the first year. I had to make sure he was in deep before I started getting crazy.)
I want him to like roast because I feel that it will give him a healthy coat and strong teeth, but also because it goes on sale frequently, reheats well and makes lots of leftovers.
I prefer to think of them as planned-overs, actually. I think “planned-over” sounds more like something from a women’s magazine and less like something from the back of the refrigerator. And the “planned overs” from roast can become tacos, French dip subs, beef stroganoff or stew.
So I began working roasts into our meals every now and then. I couldn’t do it too often. I wasn’t trying to make the poor man hate me, and I also wasn’t trying to let him in on the quest. One day, I discovered he was OK with French dip subs even though he didn’t like roast by itself.
So every now and then, I’d toss a roast into the slow cooker with a little water and some seasonings and get a loaf of French bread so we could have subs.
This week, though, I got a little braver. I nixed the bread and even used the word “roast.” I also used a different recipe than the usual. Or, to be more accurate, I looked up a cook time online and made up the recipe entirely.
Y’all. Y’ALL. This one was a winner. He liked it so much that he told me I should write about it next. So here we are: he has the wife of the year, and I have both a completed quest and a column topic.
What can I say? Sometimes life is sweet.
Amelia Plair is a mom and high school teacher in Starkville.
ROAST-HATER’S FAVORITE ROAST
Beef chuck roast, about
2-3 tbsp. oil
1 onion, sliced
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 ½ cup beef broth or stock (I used organic beef Better Than Bouillon and hot water.)
1 tbsp. steak seasoning blend (I used Chicago Steak seasoning by Magnolia Seasoning Co., but use any steak seasoning blend you like and have on hand. You can also approximate a blend using salt and pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder.)
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp. soy sauce or coconut aminos
■ Instant Pot directions: Press saute button on Instant Pot. Add oil to hot inner pot. Brown roast on all sides, about 5 minutes per side, and remove meat to plate. Add onion to pan and saute for a few minutes, long enough to allow onion to pick up some of the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add garlic and cook for about one minute, just until fragrant. Add beef broth, worcestershire, and soy sauce to pan. Deglaze the pan by using a silicone spatula or wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pan clean as the liquid heats. Sprinkle all sides of meat with steak seasoning and place into liquid. Turn off saute feature. Check to be sure sealing ring is seated properly on lid and twist lid onto pot in “sealing” position. Set pot to cook at high pressure for 45 minutes. Allow a full natural release at end of cooking time (about 25 minutes). Remove lid. Slice or shred beef and return to cooking liquids until ready to serve.
■ Slow Cooker directions: Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan. Follow directions above through deglazing the pan. Pour liquids from the skillet into the inner pot of the slow cooker. Season meat and place into slow cooker. Cook for 8-10 hours on low.
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