Pot Roast with Dilled Sour Cream Gravy.- Comfort Food at its best...

 Pot Roast with Dilled Sour Cream Gravy.- In times of fast food and processed food it is appreciated when you can give your family a little bit of the past and comfort. This is a very easy to prepare dish but as many old fashioned dishes are it takes time.

An economical yet extremely tasty dish using humble ingredients with a lovely gravy with dill accents that your whole family will look forward to.

The ingredients you will need are:

1 - 2 K Beef Chuck Roast (While in Mexico I use Diezmillo in thick slices)

1 - 2 Tbl Lard or Shortening

1 Tbl Salt

1/2 Tbl Black Pepper

1 Tbl AP Flour

1/2 cup Beef or Chicken Broth (you use water)   

2 Tbl Vinegar

1 Tbl Fresh Dill or 2 tsp Dry Dill

3 Large Potatoes, peeled, quartered

4 Carrots, peeled and quartered

3 - 4 Zuchinni, quartered

2 - 3 Tbl meat drippings

2 Tbl AP Flour

1 - 1 1/2 cup Roast drippings

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 - 2 tsp Dill

1 cup Sour Cream

Take the clean meat, dry with a towel and place the salt and pepper plus flour (you can mix these together) and cover the meat really well on all sides.

In a heavy bottomed pot or Dutch Oven (I have also made it in a Pressure Cooker) over med-high heat and add the Lard or Shortening until it is hot, add the meat and allow it to sear so you see a nice crust on it, about 5 minutes, turn and finish the other side.

Now add the beef broth, the vinegar and the dill to the seared meat, once it's bubbling, cover really well and lower the heat to a simmer. The meat should cook at least about hours, you can test it and insure it's getting tender, not yet fully done but almost there.

At this point you can add some salt and pepper and additional dill (I do but we love it), plus the potatoes and carrots. Cover once more and allow to simmer about 1 more hour but I always check at 30 minutes to make sure it's ok and the vegetables are still in whole pieces. Add the Zucchinni and cook for 5 - 10 minutes but don't let it overcook.

Once the meat is tender and you are able to easily take a piece off with a fork and the veggies are tender when pierced with a knife, remove the meat and veggies to a platter so you can work on the gravy.

Now pour off all the liquid in the pot into a measuring cup, take at least 2 Tbl of the drippings and return to the pot, medium heat since the pot is still hot, add the equal amount of flour to make a roux, stirring constantly to cook out the flour taste and integrate it all really well. 

If you got 2 cups of drippings from the meat use that, if not you can add stock or water so you have the 2 cups and still a hot liquid. Once your roux has been cooked 3 minutes or so, add the liquid to the pot and whisk it all together to remove any lumps. You will notice it will begin to thicken, it is the gravy after all, give it a taste to make sure the salt, pepper and dill are at a level you like and allow to cook until it's nice and thick. At this point you can turn off the heat and add the Sour Cream and mix to combine, the gravy should be smooth and flavorful but I always add additional Dill and check on the salt and pepper. 

Now, there is two ways to finish this dish: You can leave the meat and potatoes separate and keep warm for service and serve the gravy on the side - or - you can the meat and potatoes to the gravy and serve it all together, whatever is your preference.

I would definitely serve this with some bread or biscuits because you'll want to finish every drop of the gravy!

Of course you can always change the veggies to what you like: turnips, parsnips, red potatoes, pearl onions, yams, etc. just keep in mind of they are hard or soft veggies and add them at the correct time so they finish cooking at the right time, are whole and they will make an impressive dish.

I hope you and your family will enjoy this dish, my family does!