It seems like just yesterday that I was posting fresh summer salads and now here I am in the blink of an eye creating recipes that are hearty and cozy for the winter season. We’ve been up here in Tahoe / Donner for the past few days and as this dish was cooking away it was snowing outside, it felt like the quintessential winter day and everything I wanted this roast to be. And I’m pretty sure every time I make this in the future I’ll think of that day. I called this recipe the “Fireside” Roast for obvious reasons. 🙂
This week’s One-Day Sale Item at Whole Foods is a Cross Cut Roast. I wanted to do something a bit different than your standard carrot, celery, onion type of roast though. Something different and something that felt a bit more festive. I decided to create an earthy mushroom and red wine sauce for this beautiful roast to simmer away in.
And this roast is really simple to make! It’s kind of a crockpot dump it and let it sit for hours mentality. My husband is usually the “meat” guy around here and something I’ve learned from him is to cook it even lower and longer than you think you really need to. I’m pretty sure I’ve never cooked anything in the oven at 285* before, but I tell you, that’s the trick to making this roast magical.
I served the roast and all of it’s juice mushroom, onion sauce over a bed of mashed cauliflower and it was heaven. You know how I know that? Besides my own opinion of course? I made it for my mother-in-law and she couldn’t stop raving about it. And trust me, if it wasn’t good she would have no problem letting me know, she’s not one to mince words.
"fireside" roast + mashed cauliflower
Ingredients
- 3-4 lb cross cut roast
- 2 Tbsp. favorite cooking oil i.e. ghee, butter.. bacon grease?!?
- 1 lb. crimini mushrooms quartered
- 6 oz. shitake mushrooms halved
- 2 portobello mushrooms cut into chunks
- 2 red onions quartered and halved
- 1 sweet onion quartered and halved
- 5 cloves of garlic smashed
- 2 sprigs of rosemary
- 4 C. beef broth
- 1 C. red wine such as a Cab or bordeaux
- salt + pepper
- 2 heads of cauliflower
- 2 Tbsp butter or ghee
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 285*
- In a large dutch oven heat oil on medium high
- Pat roast dry and season well with salt and pepper all over
- Once oil is hot, sear roast on each side for 3-4 minutes until a brown crust is formed
- Once each side is seared and browned remove roast from dutch oven
- Add onions, mushrooms, garlic and rosemary to the dutch oven, give a little stir to combine all ingredients
- Place roast back into dutch oven atop of other ingredients
- Pour beef broth and wine in as well
- Roast in oven for 1 hour uncovered
- After one hour cover and continue to cook for an additional 3 hours
- Roast should be fork tender and break apart easily when done
- For mashed cauliflower, cut head of cauliflower into pieces and steam until soft
- In high powered blender or food processor and cauliflower and butter, process until smooth and salt to taste
- Cut roast against the grain and serve with mushroom sauce atop of cauliflower
