I walked by the meat section of Safeway, and came across a $6 chuck roast. What a perfect excuse for the all American roast beef, mashed potatoes, and gravy. I threw a little Italian in there and made some swiss chard. Swiss Chard is my absolute favorite vegetable. Now that I am blogging and cooking...I am realizing how much I use the same seasoning. I will start with what I am comfortable with, and then move on to being more adventurous.
Let's start with swiss chard shall we?
Gates Swiss Chard
1 bushel of swiss chard
4-5 cloves of garlic chopped
2-3 tablespoons of olive oil (eyeball it)
4-5 cloves of garlic chopped
2-3 tablespoons of olive oil (eyeball it)
I'm sure most of you don't know what it is...and I wouldn't either if my mother didn't cook it at least once a week. When I was a kid, I used to have the babysitter warm it up to eat as a snack. My mother attributes my constant rosy cheeks as a toddler to swiss chard. It's a green leafy vegetable over by the collard greens and kale. It's not bitter though, rather sweet when it cooks down. I tear the leaves and throw them in a strainer, rinse and then transfer them to a pot with about 1/2 cup of water. I layer the leaves with fresh chopped garlic, olive oil, and garlic salt, and then cover. Set to medium for about 10 minutes until it cooks down a bit, and serve.
Nothing Special Mashed Potatoes
4 russet potatoes peeled
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 tablespoon of butter
chicken broth (until you get the consistency you need)
salt and pepper to taste
I kind of made these up. I know a lot of people use milk, but I don't. I don't have anything against milk or anything, I just always have chicken broth in the fridge. And a sack of russet potatoes. Cut up potatoes, boil on high for about 10-15 minutes. Combine potatoes and rest of ingredients, and mix with a hand mixer. Add chicken broth as necessary.
Roast Beef with Savory Gravy
1 (4lb) chuck roast
2 cups beef stock
salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons of all purpose flour
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place chuck roast fat side up in roasting pan and roast for 1 hour or until done. Pour 1/2 cup stock over beef, and baste occasionally. Remove beef when done, and keep warm. Heat remaining beef stock in sauce pan Scrape brown bits from roasting pan, and pour into sauce pan with stock. Bring heat to high, and whisk until thick gravy emerges, adding flour as necessary. Slice meat, and pour gravy over meat.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place chuck roast fat side up in roasting pan and roast for 1 hour or until done. Pour 1/2 cup stock over beef, and baste occasionally. Remove beef when done, and keep warm. Heat remaining beef stock in sauce pan Scrape brown bits from roasting pan, and pour into sauce pan with stock. Bring heat to high, and whisk until thick gravy emerges, adding flour as necessary. Slice meat, and pour gravy over meat.
I sauteed fresh mushrooms, onions, and garlic separately. I poured these veggies over the meat before adding gravy, dressing it up a bit.
It was fabulous. My husband was done within 10 minutes and asked for more. We have leftovers for sandwiches and for the next few days. Thank you http://www.campbellskitchen.com/, for letting me slice up your roast beef recipe to make it great!
