Forget-About-It Pot Roast

This is my favorite way to cook a roast. You can do it in the crock pot, too, but then you don't braise it first. Your roast should be no less than 2 lbs but no more than 4 lbs. My recipe calls for a large amount of carrots but that's just because I love them when they're cooked with a roast. You don't have to add any veggies if you don't want to. Also, cheaper cuts of meat turn out great this way, don't waste your money on an expensive cut.

• Ready In: 8 hrs 40 mins
• Serves: 8-16

Ingredients

• 2 -4  lbs beef roast or 2 -4  lbs  pork roast
• 2 -3  lbs carrots, peeled and julienne cut
• 4 -8  potatoes, well scrubbed and cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 (10 1/2ounce) can  cream of mushroom soup
• 2  sweet yellow onions
• 5 -6  garlic cloves, finely minced
• 2 -4  tablespoons olive oil
•  salt & pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees F.
2. Use a dutch oven big enough to hold all the ingredients. The one I use is a five-quart stainless steel with domed lid for oven roasting. Place it on one of the large burners on top of the stove, add the olive oil and turn to med-high.
3. Add minced garlic and stir until the oil is hot.
4. Add the roast and braise on all sides until browned. While the roast is browning be working on the next steps.
5. Peel and chop one of the onions finely.
6. Peel the other onion and cut into eighths.
7. When the roast has been browned on all sides, sprinkle salt and pepper all over it.
8. Add the CHOPPED onion. Stir around for about a minute.
9. Add the can of cream of mushroom soup. Mix together well with the garlic, onion and pan drippings and spread it all over the roast, piling as much on top as possible.
10. Add the carrots to the pot, sprinkle salt & pepper over them.
11. Arrange the eight chunks of remaining onion on top of the carrots.
12. Add the potatoes to the pot, again sprinkle salt and pepper.
13. Put the lid on and place in the preheated oven.
14. Cook for 6 hours or longer for a 2 lb roast and 10 hours for a 4 lb roast.
15. It basically makes its own gravy. When done, remove the meat, carrots and potatoes and place them in their own serving dishes. If you like you may now put the pan back on top of the stove and thicken the drippings with flour.
16. Eat!