Chef notes

This is the ultimate cold-weather meal. The hearty beef, rich red wine sauce, savory vegetables and creamy potatoes hit all the comfort food notes.

Ingredients

Pot roast

5 pounds top blade beef roast
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons canola oil
4 tablespoons butter
8 cremini mushrooms, halved
4 carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
3 stalks celery, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 parsnips, cut into 2-inch pieces

2 red onions, cut into quarters
1 rutabaga, cut into 8 pieces
1 head garlic, cut in half horizontally
1 cup sugo finto or tomato paste
1 bottle red wine, preferably cabernet
2 quarts beef broth
3 sprigs rosemary
2 bay leaves

Pommes aligot

6 Yukon gold potatoes
2 sprigs thyme
4 bay leaves
1 sprig rosemary

1½ cup melted butter
2 cups heavy cream, warm
3/4 cup salt, divided
12 ounces shredded gruyere cheese

Preparation

For the pot roast:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Season the meat generously with salt and pepper.

Heat a Dutch oven over high heat and add the oil. Once the oil is hot, sear the beef until a dark crust forms, about 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and sear on the other side, making sure to brown the beef evenly. Transfer the beef to a plate.

Add the butter and all of the vegetables to the pot. Cook for about 5 minutes, making sure to scrape up the fond (the crispy browned bits) on the bottom of the pan. Add the sugo or tomato paste and cook until you see the oil start to separate from the tomato. Deglaze with the bottle of wine and cook until you see the sauce begin to thicken. Return the beef to the pot and add the broth, rosemary, and bay leaves. Cover the pot and place in the oven to cook for 2 hours and 45 minutes.

For the pommes aligot:

Add the potatoes to a pot of water with the herbs and all but 2 tablespoons of the salt. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 25 minutes. Remove the herbs, strain the potatoes and peel them. Place the peeled potatoes back in the pot, add the warm cream and melted butter, and mash. Add in the cheese as you're mashing, and once they're at a smooth consistency, add in remaining 2 tablespoons of salt. Keep covered in a warm place until ready to serve.

To serve:

Once cooked, let the roast cool for 10 minutes. Remove the beef from the pot and place on a cutting board to slice. Remove the bay leaves and rosemary stems from the stew. Squeeze any garlic cloves remaining in their skins into the stew, discarding the skins.

Serve the sliced meat along with the vegetables and atop pommes aligot with a ladle of cooking liquid on top.