Pot Roast with Charred Onion & Chickpea Salad
6-8
servings
Main
Course
Print Recipe
Ingredients
Directions
Ingredients
1
boneless beef chuck roast (about 3 pounds)
Kosher salt
1 tbsp
freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp
canola oil
4 md
carrots, large-diced
1 lg
sweet onion, large-diced
6
garlic cloves, smashed
6
bay leaves
6
sprigs fresh thyme
1 qt
Beef Shin Stock
1 qt
dry red wine
1 tbsp
coriander seeds, toasted and ground
Charred Onion and Chickpea Salad
Beef Shin Stock
2 md
tomatoes
4 lb
beef shin bones, split lengthwise
1 lg
onion, large-diced
3
carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
2
celery stalks with leaves, cut into 2-inch pieces
3
garlic cloves
4
bay leaves
2
sprigs fresh thyme
1 tbsp
black peppercorns
Charred Onion & Chickpea Salad
1 tbsp
canola oil
1 lg
red onion, halved lengthwise, root end of each half left intact
2
(15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed, or 10 ounces dried chickpeas, cooked
2 c
coarsely chopped fresh cilantro (from about 1 bunch)
4
red jalapeño peppers, thinly sliced
3 tbsp
freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tbsp
extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp
ground cumin
Kosher salt
This is a perfect early fall meal, capturing the abundance of peppers and onions that the harvest has brought. Pot roast sometimes gets a bad rap for being dry, boring, and bland. I understand the hesitation with dishes that maybe you had bad versions of growing up, but this recipe shines a new light on a classic. Using chuck and cooking it slow-and-low allows it time to fully develop its flavor. Pair it with a fresh chickpea salad to brighten up the dish.
Directions
Beef Shin Broth
- Cut each tomato in half from pole to pole. Heat a medium cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat for a couple of minutes. When the skillet is quite hot, add the tomato halves, cut-side down, and char them for 5 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and set it aside.
- Place the shin bones in a large stockpot, add water to cover, and bring it to a boil over high heat. Once a boil has been reached, drain off the water and place the bones in a slow cooker. Add the charred tomatoes, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, peppercorns, and 4 quarts of cold water. Cover with the lid, turn the cooker to the low setting, and cook for 9 to 20 hours. (The longer you let it go, the more the flavors will develop.)
- Once the stock is cooked to your liking, strain it through a colander into containers and discard the solids. Use the stock within 4 days or freeze it for up to 6 months.
Pot Roast
- Pat the chuck roast dry and season it all over with salt and the pepper.
- Place a large braising pan, such as a Dutch oven, over high heat and warm the canola oil in it until it shimmers. Add the chuck roast and sear it for about 5 minutes per side, until nicely browned. Transfer the roast to a plate to rest, and add the carrots and onion to the braising pan. Cook for 3 minutes on high heat, stirring, until the vegetables are starting to soften; then add the garlic, bay leaves, and thyme sprigs and cook for 1 minute more. Add the stock, red wine, and ground coriander and deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat and carefully pour the contents into a slow cooker. Add the chuck roast, cover with the lid, and cook on the low setting for 8 to 10 hours, until very tender. Season with additional salt, if desired.
- Transfer the roast to a platter, discard the bay and thyme, and serve the Charred Onion and Chickpea Salad alongside.
Charred Onion & Chickpea Salad
- Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add the canola oil, and when it begins to shimmer, add the onion halves, cut-side down, and char for about 10 minutes—you want them to be well blackened. Remove the skillet from the heat and let the onion halves cool to room temperature; then slice each half into ¼-inch-thick half-rings.
- In a medium bowl, combine the chickpeas, cilantro, jalapeños, charred onion slices, lemon juice, olive oil, and cumin. Toss well and season with salt to taste.
Reprinted with permission from The Chef and the Slow Cooker, copyright © 2017 by Hugh Acheson, published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.
