Friday Night Pot Roast

Ingredients

• 4 lbs top or bottom round, 2" thick
• 1 large onion, coarse chop
• 2 large carrots, coarse chop
• 1 bell pepper, seeded, chopped
• 6 clove garlic, coarse chop
• 6 each sprigs parsley and dill, 1 bay leaf and ½ ts. thyme put into spice bag.
• 6 each whole cloves
• ½ tsp each allspice and curry powder
• ¾ cup apple juice
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup kosher dry red wine
• 1½ tbsp plain or seasoned olive oil
• 1 cup tomato purée (unsalted)
• ¼ tsp salt
• watercress for garnish

Procedures

1. Put meat into large narrow pot or bowl that will just hold it, leaving room for liquid (cut meat in ½ to fit if necessary).
2. In medium saucepan combine onion, carrots, pepper, garlic, shallots, spice bag, cloves, spices, apple juice and water.
3. Bring to boil.
4. Reduce heat to simmering and cook for 3 minutes.
5. Stir in wine.
6. Pour over meat.
7. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
8. Preheat oven to 300 °F.
9. Drain meat, pushing off vegetables.
10. Remove and reserve spice bag.
11. Strain marinade into bowl, reserving solids.
12. Heat oil in heavy Dutch oven over med-hi heat.
13. Meat all over; add drained vegetables.
14. Stir and cook with meat until they begin to soften.
15. Add reserved marinade, spice bag and tomato purée, turning meat and spooning several times with sauce.
16. Cover and cook over moderate heat for 5 minutes.
17. Position oven rack to lower third of oven.
18. Bake 1 hr.
19. Turn meat and baste.
20. Repeat turning and basting 3 more times until meat is tender (3½ to 4 hrs).
21. Remove pot from oven and let stand 30 minutes.
22. Discard spice bag.
23. Transfer meat to bowl with cover.
24. Place pot over med.
25. High heat and bring sauce to boil.
26. Cook, uncovered, until reduced by ¼.
27. Let cool; then pour into another container with tight lid.
28. Refrigerate meat and sauce until well chilled.
29. Cut away any congealed fat from sauce.
30. Pour sauce into wide heavy-bottom saucepan.
31. Heat until bubbling.
32. Sprinkle with salt.
33. Cut meat against grain into ¼" slices.
34. Immerse in sauce and heat through.
35. Arrange meat on warmed serving platter in a neat pattern.
36. Spoon with some of gravy; serve remainder in gravy boat.
37. Garnish platter with watercress.