Kelly Kimpton’s Roast Beef

Ingredients:

• Four pound chuck roast with good marbling and some fat. Don’t be afraid of fat. When it’s caramelized it will make this roast!
• 1 medium sweet onion peeled, and cut into six wedges
• 3 pounds small Yukon gold potatoes, halved
• 3 pounds carrots (farmers market or fresh as possible), peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
• 32-oz scratch or store-bought beef or chicken stock
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
• 4 cloves of garlic, smashed
• 1 stick butter
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 325°
• Pat chuck roast with clean towel to dry.
• Combine chopped rosemary and thyme; add half to salt and pepper in a small bowl. Reserve other half of rosemary and thyme for use later in recipe.
• Sprinkle all sides of roast with salt, pepper, and herbs. Press into roast with your hands.
• Heat olive oil over medium high heat until slightly smoking in large Dutch oven.
• Add roast to Dutch oven and cook for at least five minutes on each side until a nice, crusty exterior is formed. This will lock in the juices.
• Add onion wedges and smashed garlic cloves to pan. Add stock to pan until it’s halfway up the meat. (Quantity will vary depending on size of pan and shape of meat.)
• Cover and roast in oven for 3-4 hours, or until fork tender.
• After 2 hours of cooking time, toss chopped carrots and potatoes with reserved rosemary and thyme, and add to meat and juices in the Dutch oven*, and finish cooking the roast. (See note below.)
• When meat is fork tender, remove with veggies from pan and rest on a platter.
• Make a roux in a medium saucepan with the butter and flour. Melt butter over medium-low heat. Add flour gradually, whisking the entire time until a smooth gravy is formed.
• Strain the remaining juices in the Dutch oven and slowing whisk into the roux to make a gravy. Add more beef, chicken stock, or water if the gravy is too thick. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Place veggies and meat back into the Dutch oven for one-dish service. Either add gravy to the pan, or serve separately on the side.
• Best served with hot yeast rolls and butter.

NOTE: Kimpton likes to roast the carrots and potatoes in the oven at 400° F until slightly browned before adding them to the Dutch oven with the meat. This is optional (though it does add a deeper flavor and color to the veggies).