Nurturing my inner... june cleaver goes to cabo

Oh, this one is going to be good!  You're not going to want to miss it.

Pot Roast Tacos

Pot Roast

2 lbs chuck or bottom round
1 leek, washed and sliced
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 package sliced mushrooms
6 carrots, peeled and cut
10 small red potatoes, peeled and quartered
6 sprigs of thyme
1 can of beef broth
1 can of beef consomme
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp granulated onion
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil

I'm warning you, this recipe really delivers.  I had tacos like these at M&S Grill and had to learn to make them at home.  I created a rich, flavorful gravy for them, so if you wanted it to be lighter, you could forgo the can of consomme and add that in water.

There is some effort to put forth in preparation, but then it all goes in the Crock Pot and you get to leave it for 6-8 hours.  So while you're chopping vegetables, just think of the reward you'll get in less than half a day.

They look like they just came from the garden.

They peel quickly with a sharp peeler.  They were too pretty for me not to take a picture with the greens still on.

Definitely picture worthy, before I hacked
them all up!

And then I chopped them into large pieces, because I knew they'd be cooking for hours.  (Hindsight: I might consider waiting until the last two - three hours to add the carrots and potatoes if I wanted them to be less soft.)

You do know that's how they make "mini" carrots
anyway, right? They cut down big carrots.

I went to Wegmans in August to get the beef for this traditional family fav.  I remembered they had a really great selection.  Most recipes said that bottom round was the preferred cut, but I hadn't seen any that day.  So I spoke to the kindly Wegmans butcher and he lent me a helping hand.  He said that chuck was what I was looking for.  (Who's chuck?  What did I know.)  I ended up with two one pound pieces.  And because I wasn't ready to make it that day, I froze them.  Which lead me to my next adventure: using the microwave to defrost these two.  I've not ever used my microwave to defrost meat.  Turns out, it works really well.  You choose the defrost button, then put in the weight, flip it over a couple of times when it tells you to, and bada bing - you're all set!

It worked fantastically.

I do have to mention that I realized later should the police have had any reason to search my freezer in recent weeks, having a bag labeled "chuck" was probably a bad idea.

See, it looks sketchy. I told you.

Before these two went into the Crock Pot, they needed to be seared.  Sealing in the juices by searing the meat offers a better texture and flavor later.

Side one. Do yo thang!

Large cuts of meat in a pan with olive oil creates this: spatter.  No one likes spattering.  1.) It's hot and hurts when it lands on your hands and arms. 2.) It's a pain in the tukus to clean off your stove.  This handy little spatter screen is worth the purchase for an event such as this and it's slim and stores away easily.

Spattering oil stays confined as it should.
Your hands, and stove, with thank you later.

Maybe five minutes on each side and your roasts will look browned up perfectly like this:

Looking good already.

That wasn't very hard at all.  Now into the Crock Pot they go.  Ready to meet the rest of their friends.

How ever will I wait for six hours?

Every good pot roast needs the right liquid combination.  I've seen people add dried onion soup mix or tomato paste.  I opted not to go either route and instead, kept it basic.  But that didn't mean I was going to skimp on rich flavor and lovely gravy.

The key to rich gravy is to add enough broth
and not too much water.

I also thought I should pack this with a bit of extra flavor, because it was a good hunk of beef.

Dried and concentrated.

I will also add the fresh stuff, but in a stewy like dish a bit of extra flavor makes it that much more wonderful.



Salt and spice and everything nice.


Beef broth and consume in, along with half a cup of water.

I could almost quit at this point.
What else could make this more perfect?

Alright, alright, veggies need to be a part of this grand plan.  I knew I'd be adding onions in later for the taco part, so I thought hey, I'll put in a leek for flavor now.

Green part was looking a bit ragged.

Sliced up the garlic, shallots and mostly the white and light green part of the leek.

Now that's some fresh flavor!

I debated showing you the next item.  Because they had been sitting around for a bit too long in my fridge.  As a result I ended up with some sad mushrooms.  Since they were going in the slow cooker, I wasn't too disapointed.  They'd be fine.



So though they had seen better days, I
knew they'd rally!


Into the pot went the shallot, leek, garlic, thyme, mushrooms and seasoning.

Very earthy.

Well, what's a pot roast without potatoes?  Like a night without stars.  Like a cookie without chocolate chips.  Like a... okay, enough already.

I like the texture of red potatoes for this.

Potatoes should be peeled.  Little potatoes are big work, but you've come this far, so don't give up!

They were small, so I used about 10.

Then I quartered them.  I left them in large chunks, just like the carrots, because of the long cook time.  They were all about the same size.

Similar size veggies ensure even cooking.

Of course, they too now go into the Crock Pot.  Everything will fit.  It all cooks down over time.  You just need to make sure you have enough liquid.

Officially meat AND potatoes now.

Then add the carrots and the flour.  It's getting easier and easier.

And done.

Lid on and you're outtie for six to eight hours.  Ah, but wait!  That was just the pot roast portion.  Your June Cleaver moments are behind you.  Now it's time to embrace your "caliente" side.

Tacos and Sauce

Flour tortillas
1/2 onion sliced
1 green pepper, sliced
1/2 cup mayonaise
1 chipotle pepper
1 tsp adobo sauce

I've had several kinds of flavored mayos on sandwiches when I've been out, but never thought of taking the time to learn to make them at home.  Well, until I wanted to recreate the pot roast tacos.  So I had to figure out how to make chipotle mayo.  Pretty much, it's just chipotle and mayo.  I know, complicated, right.  You can add a fresh squeeze of lime if you wish.

You can easily double the amounts and
it will work just fine in larger batches.

The mini food processor has been so handy.  I'm glad I have it.  It's the perfect size for these smaller jobs.  (And the only one I have, so...)

One chipotle, skin and all.

I also added a bit of the adobo sauce that was in the can with the chipotles because it has great flavor.  Don't waste it!

Mmm, spicy!

A friend gave me and other guests a great gift before a holiday dinner one time.  We each got a couple of mini spatulas and some kitchen towels.  You may think that is boring, but I thought it was such a fun and useful idea!  I use the towels often and these mini spatulas have found their place - scooping clean the inside of a mini food processor.

Williams Sonoma Outlet has great gifts.

Um, I wanted it a bit more spicy.  So I added more adobo.

Have to be a little daring.

I had to keep taste testing, because I needed to find the right balance of spicy, but not painful.  I like heat, but only if it's flavorful.  Burning off my tastebuds isn't my idea of a good time.



Ooh, I like that pumpkiny color.

To make it easy to add the chipotle mayo to the taco, and restaurant worthy, I had bought some little squirt bottles.

Made for travel shampoo and conditioner.
Fairly certain I got them at Target.

I used a small demitasse spoon to add the mayo into the bottle.

Takes a little patience up front.

The half cup amount should fit perfectly.  Fill bottle up and then put in the fridge for later.

Sort of looks like thousand island dressing.

Now that that's set, time to get the other veggies ready for the tacos.

You and you, get ready.

I sliced them both as if they were going into a fajita or a cheesesteak.

They really do make you cry.

Who would ever have thought green peppers with pot roast?  Gotta love it.

They don't make you cry.

Soften them up in a pan with a little olive oil.  Just to take the crisp off of them, but not long enough to make them soggy.

Fajita-rific!

Six and a half hours later, I decided I couldn't wait any longer for the pot roast.  I tested it and the meat was wonderfully cooked and falling apart.  Let's go!

Like, WOW!  Check that out. Give it a
little stir. You could eat it as is.
But that isn't the plan.

I couldn't see too much of what was going on in the pot under that lovely, yet murky, liquid, so I put it out on a plate to get a better look.

"Gee Wally, that sure looks like one perfect
pot roast."

Okay, okay, okay!  This is the moment I had been waiting for nearly eight hours for!  Time to make the tacos!!!  (Way excited for assembly time.)

For some reason, I prefer the flour tortillas
you can get in the refrigerated section.
Nice and soft.

You can always toast them lightly over an open flame, if you have a gas stove, but I just put one down on a plate.  Because I was hungry and impatient!  I added a little of the sauted onions and peppers on top.

Sort of does remind me of a fajita. But that's
not what M&S called them, so neither will I.

I took the meat, removed any fat and shreded it up.  (I used the potatoes, carrots and mushrooms as the side dish.)  Then placed some of it, a generous portion actually, on top of the veggies and added a drizzle of gravy.

I can hardly wait! The suspense is killing me!

Almost there.  Take your squeeze bottle, make sure the top is opened all the way and generously top your taco with spicy deliciousness.  That is the final touch.  The cherry on your taco sundae.  (Iew, that misguided metaphor sounded yucky.)

Rightly outrageous. I know you're drooling.

Fold in the sides, pick up, tilt head and *chomp* until your heart's content.  (Oh my my, I just might fall over.)

Your personal aerial view.

This dinner is amazing!  Not gonna lie.  I mean it.  You'll impress yourself if you make it - you'll also impress your husband, children, friends, visiting dignitaries, celebrities and possibly your mother-in-law.  Promise me you'll try it around the holidays when you get tired of turkey and ham.  It's a modern twist on an old standby.  Hey, it's good to modernize.