As far as comfort foods go, pot roast easily ranks in my top 5. Part of this, I’m sure, is its proclivity for being wildly time consuming, and thus rarely on a regular rotation through our kitchen. Growing up, it was always a rarity — the treat of all treats. Mom never had six hours to cook dinner, but when she found the time WOW was it the best dinner ever. Save for a few times a year when we adequately plan ahead, the same stands in my adulthood. While fancy, timed crockpots make it easier, you still have to be on your game enough to knock out the prep work ahead of time AND remember to turn on the pot [that may or may not burn down your house] before you leave for work at 6 or 7am. I don’t know about you, but that’s asking a LOT of my half-functioning brain first thing in the morning.
Well, my people. Last night, my tiny little pot-roast-only-twice-a-year-if-I’m-lucky world was turned right upside down.
One of my biggest regrets in life so far is not hopping on the InstantPot bandwagon when it was first introduced. My Instagram world has been promoting this spaceship looking gadget for longer than I can remember. All I could think of was having another something in the cupboard collecting dust. We’ve done a good job of scaling back on the kitchen gadgets, and the thought of adding another big one to the mix made me cringe. Boy was I wrong. This thing is EVERYTHING.
Last night I had my first InstantPot experience, and from it came the most mouthwatering pot roast I’ve ever tasted. The best part? A 3lb organic chuck roast cooked in ONE HOUR (potatoes, sweet potatoes, and carrots included!). The second best part? It was finished an hour and a half before Cheryl was due home — the InstantPot regulated the temperature to keep it perfectly fresh for serving upon her arrival. The third best part? I really just had to set it and forget it.
Do yourself a favor and grab an InstantPot RIGHT NOW. And as your inaugural meal, whip up a one hour pot roast. I guarantee you’ll be hooked.
What you’ll need //
- 2-4lb organic chuck roast
- 1lb potatoes, cubed
- 1lb sweet potatoes, cubed
- 1lb carrots, cubed
- 2 cups bone broth (I used beef bone broth because I don’t eat birds anymore, but chicken or veggie stock would suffice as well)
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- Avocado oil
- Green onions, chopped
- Baby kale, chopped
- Salt+pepper
- Italian seasoning (dried)
How to do it //
- Season your roast thoroughly on all sides (I used salt+pepper and a little Italian seasoning — feel free to mix and match whatever you have on hand or just go with basic salt+pepper)
- Preheat your InstantPot by pushing the SAUTE button. Once it reads HOT, add a generous amount of oil and your minced garlic. Brown each side of your roast and then lay flat in your InstantPot. Deglaze the pan by adding your bone broth or stock.
- Lock your lid and push MANUAL. Use the +/- buttons to add 50 minutes. Go do something else.
- When your timer goes off, release the pressure with the quick release method (it’s REALLY important to read the manual — a step I usually skip. Pressure cooking can be dangerous if you’re not up on the procedures, so read the intro at a minimum).
- QUICK RELEASE: Push CANCEL and then switch the vent from sealing to VENTING. Wait until all the pressure has been released. It’s like Old Faithful, you’ll know when it’s finished.
- Remove the lid and add your potatoes and carrots. Seal the lid and push MANUAL, adding 10 minutes to your timer.
- When your timer goes off, your meal is complete. (YES, THAT WHOLE GODDAMN ROAST IS DONE! ISN’T IT THE MOST AMAZING THING YOU’VE EVER HEARD?!). You can either use the quick release method above to eat right away, or you push the KEEP WARM button to postpone dinner until you’re ready.
- Season to taste and add green onions and kale as garnish. Serve and devour!
centralsplendor 