Grandma's Sunday Pot Roast

 Rump roast was on sale, onions, potatoes and carrots were on sale – they were crying out for pot roast like Mom used to make.  I tried this recipe from Land O'Lakes Treasury of Country Recipes and I will make it again.   My 3¼# roast cost $7.99.  I was surprised at the amount of meat after roasting!  The roast hardly shrank at all and after a hearty Sunday Dinner, we will have plenty of meat left for a meal of hot roast beef sandwiches, another meal of beef and homemade noodles, and, I expect, a meal of beef soup – all for two, of course.  The meat was juicy and tender and not stringy when cut across the grain.

If I make this again,  I will use no water or only ¼ cup, as the roast and onions produced almost too much liquid.  Our grandma cooked on a wood stove for years after most people had gas or electric ones, and she served pot roast just like this recipe.  I can see why, it is convenient to just let it bake for 2 hours while you do something else.  Don't you like the little $10 roaster I bought at The Dutchman's in Cantril?

I did make gravy – I had 2 cups of liquid, so I mixed 3 tbsp. of flour with 1/3 cup of cold water and stirred it into the liquid and cooked it 4-5 minutes.  What looks like lumps in the photo are bits of potato – it’s tasty, so I didn’t strain it.

                Grandma's Sunday Pot Roast

  3 -4        pounds  Rump Roast, Trimmed

  3            medium  Onions -- quartered

   1           each  Bay Leaf

  1 1/2      teaspoons  Salt

  1 1/2      teaspoons  Pepper

  1 1/2      teaspoons  Garlic -- minced

  1            cup  Water ( I would use no more than ¼ cup)

  6             medium  Carrots -- cut in half crosswise

  6             medium  Potatoes -- quartered

·         Heat oven to 350°.  Place roast on rack in roasting pan.  (I used my onions as a rack).  Add remaining ingredients EXCEPT water, carrots and potatoes. Pour water over roast.

·         Cover, bake 45 minutes.  Uncover, arrange carrots and potatoes around roast.  Baste with pan juices.  Cover; bake, basting occasionally, for 60-70 minutes until vegetables are fork tender and meat thermometer reaches 160° - 170°.  Serve with pan juices.

2011 cost:  $9.05 or $1.51 per serving for 6 servings

Per Serving: 464 Calories; 11g Fat (22.5% calories from fat); 54g Protein; 35g Carbohydrate; 5g Dietary Fiber; 132mg Cholesterol; 698mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 1 1/2 Grain(Starch); 7 Lean Meat; 2 Vegetable; 0 Fat.