Perfect Pot Roast

Pot roast is such a comfort food! It smells divine, it tastes divine, and despite the fact that it SEEMS difficult to pull off, it doesn't have to be.

Here is a fool-proof way to make a delicious pot roast! There is just something so warm and fuzzy about roast with potatoes and vegetables. Especially when the recipe is a simple as this one.

Ingredients:

1 chuck roast (I usually buy one in the 2 lb. range so that we can have enough for leftovers to make open-face roast beef sandwiches. YUMMY!)
1-2 lbs of small, red potatoes, quartered or halved, depending on their size.
2 carrots, peeled and cut into bite-size chunks or just throw in a few handfuls of baby carrots (which is what I do. I rarely have "real" carrots in my fridge).
1 packet of Lipton dry onion soup mix
1/2 cup of water

Directions:
1. Lightly salt and pepper both sides of chuck roast. Keep in mind that the onion soup mix has PLENTY of salt, so you don't want to overdo it.
2. Place roast in bottom of crockpot. Place potatoes and carrots all around roast.
3. Sprinkle onion soup mix over the top of vegetables and roast.
4. Add 1/2 cup of water.
5. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

Variations:
1. To add some more flavor to your roast, this step is simple but not necessary. After seasoning roast with salt and pepper, heat a large skillet with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil. When skillet is hot, sear roast on both sides by cooking at medium-high heat for several minutes, then flipping. Remember, you are just looking to get a good sear, not cooking roast all the way through. This will add tremendous flavor. Pour any juices from the skillet into your crockpot with the rest of the ingredients.

2. For a creamier pot roast with more of a "gravy" to pour over meat, vegetables, or some homemade mashed potatoes, add a can of cream of mushroom soup along with all of the ingredients above. This is delicious! If I have a can of cream of mushroom soup on hand, which I usually do but last night did not, I use it because I love the gravy it produces by adding it. And for the record, I generally have a lowfat version of the mushroom soup on hand and it's still wonderful!