Slow-Cooker Pot Roast

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A slow-cooker truly is a beautiful thing; its inventor should be proud.  Not only does it cook my dinner for me, but it doesn’t take up very much space, and doesn’t require much effort on my part to get it cooking.  As you’ve heard me say before, I really love my slow-cooker.  Don’t get me wrong, I love to cook, but sometimes I like simple, too.  Sometimes I don’t have the necessary brain function and creativity to spend time in the kitchen, and since I don’t have a personal chef or a maid, I look to my slow-cooker for answers.

This recipe here is a combination of some of my favorite ingredients, chopped down to size.  I love beef roast for its taste and texture; there’s nothing like tender meat that falls apart when you pick it up with your fork, and explodes with juicy flavor the second you bite in.  Potatoes:  there’s a lot to be said about these timeless spuds, but I think that Yukon Gold potatoes take the cake when it comes to versatility and taste.  I threw in some of the usual suspects, when it comes to pot roast:  carrots, celery, onion and garlic, but I added my own flair with a couple of minced jalapeño peppers.  Trust me, the heat is just an afterthought; since the seeds and ribs are taken out of the peppers, they’re mostly tame, even somewhat sweet (especially after the cooking process), and only add a bit of a spicy kick.  More sweetness is added with the red peppers, and the corn.  I used thyme because that’s what I had in my refrigerator, but you could substitute just about any fresh herb.

The great thing about this recipe is that you can change virtually all of the ingredients and make it your own.  For instance, if you like spicy food, and you want to kick it up a notch (as Emeril would say), you could substitute the jalapeños with Serrano peppers or even Habaneros.  The Yukon Gold potatoes could be traded in for red potatoes, for a different flavor.  You could use whatever vegetables you happen to have in your fridge, especially if you want to save some money (even vegetables are more expensive than they should be, these days).  If making this at home, the leftovers should keep for several days, or try making this for a potluck or a family function, trust me it’ll be a hit!

Ingredients:

1 beef roast (I used a 2.75 lb. roast)

3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into chunks

3 celery stalks, cut into chunks

1 red pepper, chopped

2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into chunks

2 jalapeño peppers, minced

4 cups beef broth

1 ½ cups corn (I had leftover corn on the cob that I cut off the cob, but you can use canned instead)

½ yellow onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp fresh thyme

What to do:

Put the roast in the slow-cooker first, and then add all other ingredients.  Set to high heat and allow everything to cook for 2-3 hours.  Turn the roast, and change to low heat and cook for another 5-6 hours.  Enjoy with a tall glass of cold milk!

Finished product:

There are about 800 kernels in 16 rows on each ear of corn; Corn is used to produce fuel alcohol; fuel alcohol makes gasoline burn cleaner, reducing air pollution, and it doesn’t pollute the water.