Friday, February 1, 2013

Grandmommy's Pot Roast

I was going through some of my recipes a few weeks ago, and this one popped up as something I'd like to try.  I copied several recipes from Grandmommy's box when she died, and this one looked good even though I don't remember eating it.  Now I realize why: when I was describing the recipe to my dad, he said she used to make it when he was little, but stopped after Ann got the stomach bug after eating it as a teenager.  She'd whine that she couldn't stand the smell of it, so Grandmommy stopped making it when Dad was about 10.  Dad also said she called it Swiss Steak, but it's not what I grew up calling Swiss Steak (that's a different excellent recipe from my Mom and Mamaw).  Anyway, I made this pot roast, and Nathaniel said it "is what heaven tastes like" and requested it once a week.  I don't know about that, but I've made it twice now in 2 weeks, so he's pretty happy.

Grandmommy's Pot Roast
2 T flour
1 (4lb) beef roast

Coat beef with flour, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and brown in heavy large pot.  Slip rack under meat (I don't have a rack, so I actually skipped that part).  Add 1c canned tomatoes (I added the whole can of petite diced), 1 c water, 2 cloves minced garlic, 1 T salt, 1/2 tsp pepper.  Cover and simmer 2 hours.  Combine 1 c sliced onions, 1/4c vinegar, 1/4 c lemon juice, 1/4 c catsup, 2 T brown sugar, 1 T Worcestershire, 1 tsp mustard, 1/4 tsp paprika.  Pour over meat, cover and simmer 1 to 1 1/2 hours.  After simmering so long, the sauce gets nice and thick.

Serve with mashed potatoes for that great sauce.

*I only used 2 tsp salt.

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