Slow Cooker Beef Pot Roast with Gremolata

To produce a successful slow cooker pot roast, the classic recipe needs a flavor boost (here, from sun-dried tomatoes) and less liquid than oven or stove-top versions. A mixture of garlic, herbs, and lemon rind, gremolata is traditionally served in Italy with veal shanks.

Yield: 10 servings (serving size: 3 ounces meat, about 3/4 cup vegetable mixture, and about 1 teaspoon gremolata)

Ingredients

• Pot roast:
• 1  (2 1/2-pound) boneless cross-rib chuck roast, trimmed
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  salt
• 1  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 1  teaspoon  olive oil
• Cooking spray
• 2  cups  chopped onion (about 1 large)
• 1  cup  fat-free, less-sodium beef broth
• 3/4  cup  dry red wine
• 1/4  cup  chopped drained oil-packed sun-dried tomato halves
• 1/4  teaspoon  crushed red pepper
• 4  thyme sprigs
• 4  garlic cloves, crushed
• 2  bay leaves
• 3  large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2  pounds  baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 
  Gremolata:
• 2  tablespoons  chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1  teaspoon  chopped fresh thyme
• 1/2  teaspoon  grated lemon rind
• 1  garlic clove, minced

Preparation

To prepare pot roast, sprinkle roast evenly with salt and black pepper. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add roast to pan; cook 5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Transfer roast to an electric slow cooker. Recoat pan with cooking spray. Add onion to pan; sauté 8 minutes or until tender. Add broth and next 6 ingredients (through bay leaves) to pan; bring to a simmer. Add broth mixture to slow cooker. Arrange carrots and potatoes around roast in slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH 2 hours. Reduce heat to low; cook 4 hours. Remove bay leaves and thyme sprigs from slow cooker; discard. Remove roast from slow cooker; shred with 2 forks.

To prepare gremolata, combine parsley and remaining ingredients in a small bowl, stirring well. Serve with roast and vegetable mixture.

Wine note: Slow-cooked pot roast has a tender meatiness that's simple but luscious, especially when the roast's flavors are entwined with the earthiness of long-simmered root vegetables. Wines that work well with a dish like this are also soft, earthy, and (usually) red. One of my favorites is a supple zinfandel such as Bogle's Old Vine Zinfandel from California ($11). --Karen MacNeil

Nutritional Information

Calories:

309 (31% from fat)

Fat:

10.8g (sat 3.6g,mono 5.1g,poly 0.6g)

Protein:

29.1g

Carbohydrate:

23.3g

Fiber:

2.5g

Cholesterol:

84mg

Iron:

4.5mg

Sodium:

480mg

Calcium:

41mg