Italina Beef Pot Roast in Red Wine Sauce with Creamy Mashed Potato

This was my first beef roast (be it pot or something else). And it was one great flavoured roast. The red wine combined with the rest of the ingredients was really very tasty. You would see in the picture - it's quite well done but that's because I like my beef cooked that way (actually I like all my meat cooked that way). The sauce compensates for the well done beef though. My husband, everytime we go out for a steak dinner, he always orders his steak medium rare but when he tried this roast, he said it was really good. So, I think pot roasts are really good because you get all that sauce that complements if ever you make or like your beef a bit well done.

Also, I never imagined myself eating onions - but once I marinated those and then, cooked in the oven with the beef - result was a resounding 'wow...'. Even celery was never my favourite but when you cook that with this - it was amazing. By the way, did I mention that raw celery sticks are really good in loosing weight in a sense that it helps your digestion. Anyway, I think the key is to try on new things even if that's somehow out of ordinary for you because you will always miss if you don't try new things. :-)

Whipping up the creamy mashed potato is quite easy as well and goes very well with this roast.

So - give this a try and enjoy. :-)

Italian Beef Pot Roast in Red Wine Sauce

Ingredients:

1.8 kg brisket of beef
225 g small onions, peeled
3 garlics cloves, peeled and chopped
2 celery sticks, trimmed and chopped
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
450 g ripe tomatoes
300 ml Italian red wine (or any cooking red wine will do)
2 tbsp olive oil
300 ml beef stock
1 tbsp tomato puree
2 tsp freeze-dried mixed herbs
salt and freshly ground black pepper
25 g butter
25 g plain flour
freshly cooked vegetables to serve

1. Place the beef in a bowl. Add the onions, garlic, celery and carrots. Place the tomatoes in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Allow to stand for 2 minutes and drain. Peel away the skins, discard the seeds and chop, then add to the bowl the red wine. Cover tightly and marinate in the refrigerator overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 150 deg celcius, 10 minutes before cooking.
3. Lift the marinade beef from the bowl and pat dry with absorbent kitchen paper. Heat the olive oil in a large casserole dish and cook the beef until it is browned all over, then remove from the dish.
4. Drain the vegetables from the marinade, reserving the marinade. Add the vegetables to the casserole dish and fry gently for 5 mins, stirring occasionally, until all the vegetables are browned.
5. Return the beef to the casserole dish with the marinade, beef stock, tomato puree, mixed herbs and season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then cover and cook in the preheated oven for 3 hours.
6. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beef and any large vegetables to a plate and leave in a warm place. Blend the butter and flour to form a paste.
7. Bring the casserole juices to the boil and then gradually stir in small spoonfuls of the paste. Cook until thickened.
8. Serve the beef roast with the sauce and a selection of vegetables.

Creamy Mashed Potato

Ingredients:
4 large potatoes
3-4 tbsps milk
60 g butter
2 tbsps sour cream

1. Chop the potatoes and cook in boiling salted wated until just tender, then drain.
2. Return the potato to the pan over low heat. Add the milk and quickly mash, adding more milk, if necessary, for fluffy potatoes.
3. Beat in the butter and sour cream and season well with salt and pepper.