Thursday 8/5 "Pot Roast on a Budget"

Ten Dollar Dinners with Melissa D'Arabian

• 1/2 pound slab bacon, cut into large lardons (turkey bacon--$2.00)
• 2 medium onions, sliced ($0.60)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 pounds beef chuck, cut into large cubes ($6.16)
• 5 carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks ($0.82)
• Generous tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 12 ounces beer (dark or light, depending on your preference) (1 can of miller lite stolen from hubby)
• 6 prunes (did not use)
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 1 cup beef stock ($1.89)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
In a large Dutch oven over medium-low heat, add the bacon and cook until it renders its fat and almost becomes crispy. Remove it with a slotted spoon to a plate. Add the onions, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and cook over low heat until they are deep in color or and caramelized, about 30 minutes.
Remove the onions to a plate, leaving as much fat in the pot as possible. Add the vegetable oil and mix it with the bacon fat. Raise the heat to high. Season the beef liberally with salt and pepper and sear, in batches, until nicely browned on both sides.
Once the meat is browned, add the first batch of meat back to the pan along with the onions, carrots and bacon. Sprinkle in the flour and stir. Cook for 1 minute before deglazing the pan with the beer. Add the remaining ingredients and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cover the pot and put it in the oven to braise until the beef is tender, about 2 hours. Remove the pot from the oven and transfer the pot roast to a serving dish.

• 1 3/4 pounds red boiling potatoes ($2.01)
• Kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley leaves

Directions
Put the potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water by 2 inches. Salt the water generously. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook the potatoes until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and put the potatoes in a serving bowl. Drizzle with melted butter and sprinkle with parsley. Toss and serve.

The verdict: This will take a while, but it is a good way to make pot roast on a budget. I believe it cost me over $10 ($13.48) but I don't calculate the servings utilized, just total cost to buy all product. Used beef stock and potatoes again. It was really really yummy and it tasted like a roast. Just make sure you have the hour or so to put it together.