Crock Pot Roast

Last week, Scooter asked to give more input on our dinners. Before then, I had been choosing what to cook and simply got him to let me know what kind of meat he wanted to have. He wanted to be more involved, so now our Friday night routine includes a recipe review with both of us looking over and choosing together what to have for meals--a dinner democracy.

This recipe is one that he and I picked out because the cook time was perfect for us since we're gone all day, involves not much in the way of prep time which is something I like, and features a roast that he really was in the mood for (he was looking for a "meat and potatoes" kind of meal, which this one is--literally). So here is a yummy pot roast recipe that you can fix in the morning and forget until dinnertime. Note that you will need a medium oval or large crock pot for this recipe.

What you'll need:
4-lb. boneless chuck roast
salt and pepper to taste
4 large carrots
4 large potatoes
1 onion*
2 bay leaves
3 c. water
1/2 c. cider vinegar

What you'll need to do:
1. Put the roast into your crock pot and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
2. Peel and quarter the potatoes and add them to the crock pot.
3. Peel the carrots and cut them into 2-3 inch pieces.
4. Peel and cut the onion into large chunks.
5. Add the vegetables and bay leaves into the crock pot.
6. Pour in the water and vinegar, cover, and cook on LOW 6-8 hours.

*The original recipe calls for a yellow onion, but Scooter and I prefer red onion. Either will work, or you can use the onion you prefer.

After it's done, you can remove the meat and veggies and cook down the remaining juice in a pot. You can also add butter and flour to make a gravy or simply leave it as a kind of au jus. Serve with bread to help soak up all the good sauce.