Easy beef pot roast

I treated myself to a 29cm oval Le Creuset casserole a couple of weeks ago. The first dish I made with it was the Taiwanese three-cup chicken, a nod to my roots. But to really test out the cookware, I made a simple pot roast with neither bells (herbs/spices) nor whistles (thick gravy). 

Beef pot roast

Ingredients
serves 2-3

450g boneless chuck roast
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled & crushed
2 bay leaves
¼ tsp pink salt
fresh ground black pepper
2-3 medium Rooster potatoes, cut into large chunks
2 carrots, peel on, washed, cut into large chunks

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 165⁰C.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a heavy Dutch oven/casserole on top of the stove over medium high heat.
3. Once the oil is hot, sear the chuck roast on all sides, 3-4 minutes on each sides. Remove and set aside.
4. Heat the rest of the oil in the casserole and sauté the chopped onions and crushed garlic. 
5. When the onions are slightly softened, arrange the onions, garlic, and 1 bay leaf in the bottom of the casserole. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
6. Place the meat on top of the onions and the bay leaf on top of the meat. Cover the casserole.
   
7. Cook in the oven for 20 minutes at 165⁰C.
8. Take the casserole out of the oven and onto the stove.
9. Remove the meat and add in the carrots and potatoes. Mix, and then flip the meat and place it back on top of the vegetables. Cover the casserole.
   
10. Reduce the oven heat to 150⁰C. and cook for 30-40 minutes.
    
11. Remove the roast to a platter to rest for 10 minutes. Slice and serve with vegetables and juice in the casserole.
    

This was delicious! The flavours were deep, meaty, but not overly rich. We had some leftover for the next day and after heating everything gently in the casserole, the meat was still juicy and tender. Big thumbs up for this recipe and my new kitchen toy!