Instructions

• Two Hours Before Game Time - Pre-game Prep:
• Put the roast on a wire rack over a cookie sheet. Salt liberally with the kosher salt and let sit out to come to room temperature.
• One Hour Before Game Time:
• Peel, and chop and prep vegetables. Keep potatoes in a bowl of water to prevent rusting.
• Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place enameled (preferred) 8qt. Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Melt the tallow or add the oil.
• When smoking hot, add roast beef. Brown well on each side for 6-8 minutes. The idea is to create a nice layer of fond on the bottom of the pot.
• Move the roast to a plate or platter ensuring you preserve any drippings that are produced.
• Add the carrots, celery, and onion to the pot. Stir and cook several minutes until colors are vibrant, and beginning to soften just a bit.
• Add the bay leaf, thyme, garlic and rosemary. Cook until very fragrant. Season with salt and pepper.
• Add the tomato paste and stir well until combined and the vegetables are well coated.
• Deglaze the pan with the red wine, scraping loose all the brown bits and fond from the bottom of the pot. Stir in the Onion Soup Mix.
• Flatten the veggies with your spoon while stirring and cooking for a couple minutes.
• Lay the Roast Beef on top of the veggies. Pour the beef broth around and on top the roast. Lower the heat a little and let the beef broth come up to temp with the rest of the contents.
• Cover the pot and place in the pre-heated oven. The game should just be starting in a few minutes.
• At Halftime - The only interruption:
• Remove the pot from the oven and place on a potholder. Remove the lid. Drain the potatoes and layer on top of the roast.
• Season the potatoes with salt and pepper, and gently press into the liquid.
• Cover the pot and return to the oven. Go enjoy the rest of the game.
• Game's Over - Time to Eat:
• Using a slotted spoon, remove the potatoes to a serving bowl, keep warm. Remove the roast to a serving platter and keep warm.
• Using a slotted spoon, remove the bottom layer of veggies to a serving bowl, preserving as much of the braising liquid in the pot as possible.
• Strain the liquid in the pot into a Gravy Fat Separator, or if needed, place in a tall-ish container and allow the fat to separate from the drippings for a couple of minutes. This should eventually yield about 1- 1/2 cups of fat-free drippings. While this is happening, start the gravy base.
• In a small saucepan, melt the butter, then add the flower. Cook a couple of minutes until bubbly and starting to brown slightly. Meanwhile warm the heavy cream in the microwave for 15-20 seconds.
• Add the cream. Stir continuously until the cream, butter, and flour form a stiff paste. Pour about a cup of the drippings into the saucepan with the paste.
• If you don't have a separator, use a turkey baster to retrieve the drippings from below the fat in your bowl.
• Whisk the drippings into the flour paste until it forms a nice gravy. About a cup of drippings makes a fairly thick gravy, you can add as much as you want to thin it out. If it is still too thick and you are out of drippings, add a little beef broth.
• Check the gravy for seasoning. It is wildly flavorful as it is, but occasionally could use a little salt and pepper.
• Once the gravy is done, go back and separate the fatty pieces from the roast and cut into serving-sized pieces. Serve with the potatoes, veggies, and gravy on the side.
• Notes:
• The gravy takes a few extra minutes, but it’s built entirely from the braising liquid — deep, savory, and far better than anything poured from a packet.
• Straining the small stuff from the dripping into your separator is important! While they may make nice tasty bits in the gravy, it is much smoother without them. Also, for more gravy/sauce silkiness, add a couple pats of butter to the gravy during the seasoning phase.
• Depending on your roast, long-term braising can actually yield drier meats once out of the pot. I usually have some drippings left in the pot, and lightly drizzle them on the roast after cutting.