Chuck Roast with Sweet Potato

posted by Megan on Oct 27, 2022 0 comments »

This chuck roast is quite possibly the ultimate comfort food. It’s tear-it-apart-with-a-fork tender and so flavorful. Sweet potatoes are roasted right along with it, soaking up all the goodness. Finally, a creamy herb-infused gravy pulls everything together.

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white bowl of beef roast with potatoes and carrots

Sometimes I’ll cringe at the way I used to make stuff, but then I realize that learning isn’t all that cringy. Even when the mistakes are obvious, the consequences of developing “less than best” recipes are still pretty darn good.

For the longest time, I made this chuck roast by tossing the raw beef into the crock pot and sprinkling just the up facing side with salt and pepper. Before turning the slow cooker on, I added a cup of water…that washed off what little seasoning I put on. Oh well. While the texture and beefy flavor were still delicious, there were many improvements to be made. But that’s the fun of learning!

In order of recipe steps, here’s the changes I eventually made and why they work so well.

tray of ingredients to make chuck roast, including beef, celery, broth, potatoes, onion and carrots.

Sear the roast

Just on the top and bottom, don’t worry about the sides. Add a little olive oil to a skillet or cast iron pan and wait until it’s piping hot. There should be wisps of smoke coming from the pan, and the oil will be “wavy.” When you add the roast, it should make a lot of noise. Sear on both sides for 6 minutes, leaving the heat at medium high. Be patient!

The resulting crust is stunning, and just as flavorful as it is pretty.

Add Sweet Potatoes

Or any kind of potato! Peel and chop into 2-3 inch chunks, and add to the slow cooker once the roast is in there. As things cook, the potatoes absorb so much of the delicious flavor and become just as yummy as the roast itself.

Sauté the veggies

Right after you pull the roast from the skillet, there’s going to be hot beef fat that rendered out during the searing and a bunch of browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Once the roast is in the slow cooker with the potatoes, add the onion, garlic, celery and carrot to the skillet and cook until they pick up those browned bits and absorb the beef fat.

It only takes a few minutes at most, and you don’t waste that amazing flavor left behind from searing off the beef.

Reduce the sauce

The rest of the ingredients that go into the slow cooker are the beef stock, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar and Dijon mustard. I didn’t want to add all of these things separately to the slow cooker, because then you risk having one part of the roast taste like brown sugar and another spot tasting like Dijon.

The skillet is still hot at this point, so you might as well still keep it over medium high and do one last thing. Combine the stock, vinegar, brown sugar and Dijon in the pan and whisk to dissolve the sugar. The Dijon will still be chunky and not blended in, so just allow things to come to a simmer for a minute or two. Continue to whisk for another minute or so until the mustard has blended in.

Pour the sauce over the rest of everything that’s waiting in the slow cooker, cover and roast for 5 hours on high.

It’s All Gravy, Baby.

Finally, the gravy was the last change I recently made to this chuck roast. It’s infused with thyme and has a little more salt and pepper to keep things seasoned and flavorful.

After the roast has finished, remove the beef and potatoes to a serving platter or bowl. Add the remaining liquid to a saucepan, and heat over medium. While it comes to a boil, make a runny paste from flour, a little beef stock, salt, pepper and ground thyme. Once the liquid is boiling, stream in the flour mixture and whisk until the gravy is thickened and smooth.

Remove the saucepan from the heat. If you know everyone likes gravy, pour it evenly over top of the roast and potatoes before serving. This makes portioning leftovers easier! Alternatively, serve the gravy on the side for people to add as desired.