Slow Cooker_ The Best Cookbook Ever - Diane Phillips [71]
heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a medium skillet over mediumhigh heat. Add the garlic and sauté until it is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the spinach and sauté until it is wilted and the liquid in the pan has evaporated, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the nutmeg and season with salt and pepper. Allow to cool before proceeding.
put the bread crumbs and cheese in a large bowl and stir to combine. Add the spinach and eggs, and stir until the mixture comes together. Place 3 tablespoons of filling in the center of each piece of beef. Roll the beef and secure the seams with a toothpick or skewer. Place the rolls seam-side down on a platter.
heat the remaining 6 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the rolls seam-side down and brown on all sides. Transfer the rolls to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Add the onion and basil to the same skillet over medium-high heat and sauté until the onion is fragrant and is softened, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and raisins and stir to combine.
transfer the sauce to the slow-cooker insert, covering the beef rolls. Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for 4 to 5 hours or on low for 8 to 9 hours. remove the beef rolls from the cooker and cover with aluminum foil. Skim off any fat from the top of the sauce and season with salt and pepper.
remove the toothpicks from the rolls. Cut each roll in half and place on top of some sauce on a serving plate. Serve any additional sauce on the side.
serves 8
Shirley’s Sunday Pot Roast
My mother-in-law was the queen of chuck roasts—it was her go-to dish when company came or for Sunday dinner after church—and she loved its beefy flavor. She would cover a roast with sliced onions, salt, and pepper and then bake it for hours. The result was a beefy pot roast, but didn’t have a great sauce. This pot roast uses chuck roast and is cooked with beef broth, sage, and root vegetables to add flavor and interest to the finished dish. Make sure to brown the meat evenly on all sides before loading in the slow cooker to ensure the maximum flavor.
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons dried sage leaves, crushed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
One 4-pound boneless chuck roast (see savvy)
2 large sweet onions, such as Vidalia, coarsely chopped
4 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch lengths, or two cups baby carrots
2 medium parsnips, cut into 1-inch lengths
8 medium red potatoes, quartered
1½ cups beef broth
¼ cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 4 tablespoons water
add the oil, garlic, sage, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper to a small bowl and stir to combine. Rub the meat with the oil mixture to coat. Put the onions, carrots, parsnips, and potatoes in the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker.
heat a large skillet over high heat. Add the meat and brown evenly on all sides. Transfer the browned meat to the slowcooker insert. Add the broth and soy sauce to the cooker.
cover and cook on high for 4 to 5 hours or on low for 8 to 10 hours. Carefully remove the meat and vegetables from the insert and cover with aluminum foil. Skim off the fat from the surface of the sauce or pour the sauce into a fat separator. Season with salt and pepper.
transfer the sauce to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the cornstarch mixture and whisk until the sauce comes back to a boil. Remove from the heat.
cut the meat in serving-size portions and serve with some of the sauce spooned over. Serve any additional sauce on the side.
serves 6–8
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pot roast savvy
If the meat is too large for your insert, don’t be afraid to cut it and wedge it in or stack it. Halfway through the cooking time, most of the collagen and fat will have melted away, and the pieces can then be set side by side in the slow cooker.
Beef Fajitas-Style
This simple recipe adds a punch of flavor to the beef, which is perfect served as fajitas, tacos, or in its sauce over rice with a side of refried beans. Braised in salsa, lime juice, and beer, the beef becomes so tender that you