Dutch Oven Beef Pot Roast with Potatoes
A one-pot superstar that is perfect simmering away in the oven on days like this late Winter’s day. It’s an easy one to pop together and leave in the oven for a few hours while you potter around the house. Not only that, this Dutch oven pot roast recipe is one of those “big hug” recipes. It’s cozy, absolutely delicious, and a good one to serve up alongside a bottle of red wine in front of the fire for a perfect Sunday supper.
While Spring is only a couple of weeks away and the garden is starting to show signs of life (our hyacinths have popped through the soil this week!), the days here are still bitterly cold, and to be honest, will be still for some time. So, I’m still full steam ahead on all my slow-cooked favorites every weekend. A good pot roast is the ultimate one-pot meal. I’ve been making versions of this recipe for a couple of years now, and it was only recently that a friend asked me how I cooked my pot roast, so I thought it was about time I wrote it up for you all!
Why You’ll Love This Dutch Oven Pot Roast
It’s a one-pot wonder, which essentially means less washing up – always a bonus in my house!
It’s a great one for beginner cooks. No overly complicated steps. Super simple ingredients, yet so delicious, and one that everyone at the dinner table will get excited for. O was so happy today when he saw me take the pot roast out of the oven!
Lots of leftovers that can be rehashed in different ways. Firstly, pot roast two days in a row is never a bad option. I usually serve it as the one-pot recipe it is, and the next day, simply with mashed sweet potato and steamed veg. It tastes even better the next day, so leftovers are a must. Hello, beef and gravy rolls for lunches this week!
Ingredients
- 1.7–2 kg boneless beef chuck roast. A chuck roast is one of those tough cuts of meat that melts in your mouth if slow-cooked on a lower temperature for a good couple of hours. It’s also a great cut of meat for stews and curries, like this slow-cooked beef curry.
- Sea salt flakes, freshly cracked pepper, plain flour, olive oil, butter.
- Vegetables – Brown onions, leeks, garlic cloves, carrots, celery, baby potatoes (suitable for boiling)
- Red wine. No need to buy the most expensive bottle at the store. I generally cook with wine that sits around $10 a bottle or one of the cheaper bottles available. As a general rule, I normally look for a Cabernet or Pinot Noir.
- Beef stock or beef broth
- Porcini Powder. If you can’t get your hands on porcini powder, look for dried porcini or cepes mushrooms instead and grind them up into a fine powder. It’s an absolute flavor-bomb for slow cooked dishes.
- Seeded mustard
- Fresh Herbs – thyme, bay leaf
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Preheat your oven to 140°C (285°F) and season the beef ready for browning
2. Brown the boneless chuck roast in your Dutch oven in a little oil and pop aside to rest.
3. Make the pot roast base – I’m talking all that infusing flavor!
4. Return the beef to the pot and add the finishing touches.
5. Pop the lid on and transfer the whole thing into your preheated oven.
6. Cook low & slow for 2.5 hours. Add the potatoes and pop it back into the oven until cooked
7. Rest, season & serve
Equipment
I’ve used a large cast iron Dutch oven (mine’s a 26cm enameled cast iron number and it’s perfect) for this recipe. You could also use a 28cm as well. When testing this recipe, I also tried a 24cm Le Creuset; however, it was too small, so learn from my mistakes and opt for a larger pot!
You’ll also need a large cook’s knife, a chopping board, paper towels, measuring tools, a mixing or wooden spoon, tongs, and a sieve.
Let’s serve it up!
Try serving it up in a shallow bowl with a helping of the broth and a big piece of Dutch oven bread to mop up all the sauciness!
Or a little more like a traditional roast dinner by adding some fresh or mushy peas on the side, along with a good helping of homemade gravy made from the pot roast broth. I also like to up the vegetable intake with a few roasted veggies on the plate too!
Leftovers make the BEST hot beef and gravy rolls for lunch the next day.
If you have excess leftover beef, try this sweet potato mash or caramelized onion potato bake with it and some green beans.
Cooks notes
Low and slow is your best friend. This pot roast recipe is not a quickie. It will take at least 3-4 hours of slow cooking; however, you’ll be rewarded on the other side.
Your cooking liquid should not cover the meat, only at most reaching 3/4 up the side of it. If you’re cooking in a larger pot (like a 28cm Dutch oven), you may need a little extra beef stock to the pot.
When deglazing in enamel cast iron, make sure any liquid that you add to the pot is at room temperature. You should avoid quick changes in temperature when cooking as this can lead to thermal shock and damaging the enamel in your cookware.
How to brown in an enamel Dutch oven
The best way to get a beautifully tender chuck roast is to brown the meat before slow cooking. Now I know it makes sense that you would think that you’d need to put your Dutch oven on a medium-high heat and then sear. However, you’ll very quickly destroy that beautiful enamel on the base of your pan as they just hate high heat.
The beauty of enamel cast iron cookware is that they don’t actually need high heat to brown your meat. Simply add a little oil to the base of your pot before warming your pan on low heat until it’s hot enough to brown (usually about 5 minutes). As cast iron retains heat, it can get really hot without blasting the bottom of the pot with high heat and causing damage.
FAQ’s
Storage
Most slow-cooked dinners taste better the next day, and this pot roast is no exception.
Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to three days. They can easily be reheated in the microwave, or if you keep the meat in the beef broth, store it in the fridge and reheat in your Dutch oven on a low heat until warmed through.
Here are a few more roast recipes you might like…
- Dutch Oven Roast Chicken With Lemon And Fresh Herbs
- Slow-Cooked Leg of Lamb
- Creamy And Cheesy Mashed Potatoes
- Roast Beef with Red Wine
Happy Roast Night!
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Dutch Oven Pot Roast
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 6 serves
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Slow cook
- Cuisine: French
Description
This Dutch Oven Pot Roast is the ultimate one-pot comfort food. Tender chuck roast slow-cooked with hearty vegetables in a rich, flavorful gravy. Perfect for Sunday supper, cozy weekends, or whenever you need a big, comforting hug on a plate.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp plain, all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp sea salt flakes
- a good grind of black pepper
- 1.7–2kg approx. beef chuck roast
- 2 leeks, sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 300ml red wine
- 700ml beef stock
- 1 tbsp porcini powder
- 1 tbsp seeded mustard
- 1 stick celery, sliced
- 4 carrots, cut into large chunks
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 baby potatoes
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven, add the oil and warm up the pot on low to medium heat on the stove top.
- Pat dry the chuck roast and pop aside.
- In a bowl, combine the flour, 1 tsp sea salt flakes, and a good grind of black pepper. Mix together and add the chuck roast. Coat all sides of the roast in the flour mixture.
- Add the roast to the heated Dutch oven. Brown the roast on all sides, then remove from the pot and set aside.
- If needed, add a little more oil to the pot and add the sliced leeks. Saute on low heat for til soft. Add the crushed garlic and saute for a further minute.
- Deglaze the pot by adding the red wine and let it reduce slightly (a minute or two is fine) before adding 1 cup of the beef stock, porcini powder, and seeded mustard. Using a silicon spatula, run it over the sides and base of the pot to release any stuck-on brown bits (the frond). Give it a good stir to incorporate all the flavors – this stuff is slow-cooking gold!
- Return the beef to the pot along with any resting juices.
- Add the celery, carrots, thyme, and bay leaves to the pot along with the remaining beef stock. Pop on the lid and bring to a simmer on the stove before popping it into the preheated oven for 2.5 hours.
- Remove the pot from the oven and add the baby potatoes. Pop the lid back on and return to the oven for a further hour or until the meat is fork-tender and falling apart.
Notes
Even though enamel cast iron is a low heat cooking vessel, you can use a medium heat if (and only if) it has a sufficient amount of liquid in it.
This recipe was cooked in a 26cm enamel Dutch oven. You could also cook it in a 28cm as well, however, you may need to add a little extra stock.
To make gravy from the beef broth…
Remove the carrots, potatoes, and beef from the pan and set aside. Strain the remaining liquid through a sieve and pour into a heat-proof jug (I use a fat separator)- You should have between 2-3 cups.
In the Dutch oven on low heat melt 30g butter. Add 2 tbsp of all-purpose flour and give it a stir to combine it into a roux. Continuously stir it for a couple of minutes to cook out the flour.
Add 250ml of the pan juices and bring to a low simmer, whisking continuously. Keep adding beef broth while the gravy thickens. To give you an idea, I generally use about 500ml of broth. A good gravy takes time. It will deepen in colour and flavor the longer it cooks. I normally aim for at least 30 minutes. Add some water (if needed) and reduce until you have the desired gravy thickness.
Season the gravy with sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper.
Serve the gravy alongside the chuck roast and vegetables for your supper.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 579
- Sugar: 4.7 g
- Sodium: 875.7 mg
- Fat: 19.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 29.1 g
- Protein: 60.4 g
- Cholesterol: 167.2 mg
