How to Make an Old-Fashioned Granny’s Yankee Pot Roast

Some of my favorite memories of my granny are the wonderful meals that were always available at her house. When I was young, she cooked on an old-fashioned wood cookstove. Her kitchen was always hot during the Indiana summers and always warm and welcoming during those cold and snowy winters. But whatever the weather, there was always food on granny’s stove no matter the time of day. She would make big, delicious buttermilk biscuits every morning. She never made “just a few” but always made a large batch to feed whoever just happened to stop in. And there was always meat and potatoes. They were a staple in her Midwest country kitchen. She raised cows, pigs, and chickens. I remember often seeing meat hanging in her smokehouse. There was usually a pot of ham and beans, chicken and dumplings, or a pot roast simmering on that old stove. This recipe brings back lots of memories; I hope it will for you, too.

Granny’s Yankee Pot Roast

• 4 to 5 lb beef chuck roast
• 1 tbsp shortening
• 2 cups sliced onions
• 2 cups sliced carrots
• 1 cup sliced celery
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 1/2 cups tomato juice
• 4 medium potatoes, quartered
• 1 tbsp flour

Brown meat well on both sides in the hot shortening in cast iron* Dutch oven over moderate heat. Add onion, carrot, celery, salt, thyme, pepper and 1 cup tomato juice. Cover; cook slowly until meat is fork tender, probably two to two and a half hours. Add the potatoes 30 minutes before the end of cooking time. Arrange the meat and potatoes on a serving platter; keep hot. Blend together the remaining tomato juice and the flour; add to the vegetable mixture still in the pan. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Serve with or over the meat.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

*Using cast iron is not necessary. But it is a great way to slow-cook meats.

Enjoy!

The Author:

Grandma Linda is a collector of vintage recipes. She enjoys sharing these old-time recipes with others on her blog at http://grandmasvintagerecipes.blogspot.com

Photo. Marcus