April 18, 2018
This week I wanted to share another slow cooker recipe with you that I made this week. I’ve been really getting into the slow cooking lately because of how easy it is to whip something up. We’ve had a few nights during the week where we’ve had friends over, and so slow cooking is the perfect solution to having a delicious meal ready to go when I get home from work. It’s great being able to prep something in the morning, leave it to cook all day, and when you come home be welcomed by the delicious smell of beautifully cooked meat, and have the added bonus of not needing to do too much to get dinner on the table. Now that the weather is finally cooling down slightly, it is an even better time to be whipping out the slow cooker as it makes such delicious, comforting dishes.
This week I decided to try cooking roast beef in the slow cooker. I’ve only ever really done stews with beef before, and I don’t normally slow cook beef – I seem to always go back to lamb or pork. So I decided that this week would be a good time to branch out and try something new. I can’t say I’ve even cooked a beef roast in the oven, let alone the slow cooker, so this was definitely a new experience for me! But this experiment turned out so well that I wanted to share the recipe with you all, because the roast beef that came out of the slow cooker was so tender and full of flavour! I was a little skeptical of cooking roast beef in the slow cooker as I thought it was something that really needed to be done in the oven, but turns out my doubts were unwarranted!
This recipe uses a bit of wine and beef stock, along with a whole heap of fresh herbs and garlic to really infuse the meat with flavour. The beauty of slow cooking is that it has all day to take in the flavours you put in the pot, and so you get such delicious meat! You also can reduce down the juices from the slow cooker before serving and hey presto! you have a delicious gravy without getting out the powdered stuff! Red wine and beef go so well together, and using it in the cooking of the beef made it all that better! It also means that a nice glass of red while you’re eating it goes perfectly with the dish…just a tip!
- 1.5 kg beef roast
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tsp dried basil
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 small onions finely sliced
- 5 garlic cloves crushed
- 3 carrots sliced
- 1/2 cup beef stock
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 2 bay leaves
- 5-6 sprigs of fresh rosemary leaves removed
- 4-5 sprigs of fresh thyme leaves removed
- 1/3 handful of fresh parsley chopped
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Combine the onions, garlic cloves, carrots, rosemary, thyme, bay leaves and parsley in the bowl of the slow cooker.
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Season the beef roast with salt and pepper, and rub with the dried basil. Heat the olive oil over a medium-high heat in a frypan and when hot place the beef in. Sear on all sides until the roast is browned and add to the slow cooker, ensuring it is nestled in amongst the other ingredients.
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Pour the beef stock and red wine over the pot roast and stir to combine with other ingredients.
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Cook on low for 6-8 hours and remove from the slow cooker to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
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Meanwhile, pour the juices from the slow cooker into a fry pan and cook on medium until reduced and thickened, about 10 minutes.
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Serve with potatoes, salad or steamed vegetables, pouring the juices from the slow cooker over the meat.
I couldn’t believe how easy this was to make, and I don’t know why I have been so cautious about cooking roast beef! Honestly this meal was so tasty, and it really required minimal effort, even less than some of the lamb dishes I’ve made in the past. It didn’t take long at all in the morning to prep the meat and put it in the slow cooker, nor did it require much extra effort to have it on the table – unlike some lamb dishes which always taste better finished off in the oven.
I served this meal with some oven roasted brussel sprouts (don’t knock it till you try it with a bit of ham or bacon and balsamic), some sweet potato and a delicious salad with a tahini dressing. It was nice having the onions and carrots to serve on top of the meat too as it added even more flavour! The whole meal went down a treat, which I was glad about as I was feeding two boys and I didn’t know if I’d made enough food! Luckily we had some beef left over that will go perfectly on sandwhiches or in salads for the rest of the week. This is the one good thing about being a household of two and cooking a roast: so many leftovers!
This dish was super easy and a great solution for a weeknight meal if you have the time to prep in the morning. It’s also a great option when you’re having friends around as it looks impressive, feeds a crowd, and requires minimal effort on your part! It ticks all the boxes in my books, and I’ll definitely be experimenting with more roast dishes in the future!
Until next time, happy eating!
Ella xx
