Perfect Roasted Veggies: Crock Pot Style

how to cook roast potatoes and carrots in crock pot

A crock pot roast with potatoes and carrots is a staple meal for the fall and winter seasons. It is a simple, comforting, and delicious one-pot meal that can be prepared ahead of time and is perfect for feeding friends and family. The meat is moist and full of flavour, and the vegetables are cooked to perfection. This recipe is best cooked on low heat for 8-10 hours, or until the meat is tender and falls apart easily.

Characteristics Values
Type of meal Comfort food, perfect for fall and winter
Ingredients Chuck roast, potatoes, carrots, olive oil, salt, pepper, beef broth, onion, garlic, thyme, rosemary, cornstarch, flour, butter
Cookware Large skillet, crockpot/slow cooker
Cooking time 8-10 hours on low heat or 5-6 hours on high heat
Preparation Season and sear the roast, add to crockpot with vegetables, pour broth/gravy, cook, shred meat, serve with gravy
Tips Use thicker carrots and potatoes to prevent mushiness, sear the roast for added flavour and texture, don't open the crockpot lid during cooking
Serving suggestions Rolls, corn, salad, macaroni and cheese, green chile burritos, loaded nachos, beef empanadas
Storage Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days or freeze for 2-3 months

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Prepping the ingredients

To prep the ingredients for a roast with potatoes and carrots in a crock pot, you'll first want to select the right type of meat. A chuck roast is a good option, and you can choose from a few different cuts, such as chuck roast, rump roast, or brisket. You'll need around 3-4 pounds of meat, which should serve 6 people. If you're using a larger roast, you'll need to increase the cooking time.

Before seasoning the meat, pat it dry with paper towels. Then, season all sides of the roast with salt and pepper, and optionally, flour. You can also add other seasonings like garlic powder, paprika, rosemary, thyme, or Italian seasoning blends.

Next, heat some olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the roast and sear it on each side for 2-5 minutes, until browned. This step is optional but adds a nice colour, texture, and flavour to the dish.

Now, it's time to prepare the vegetables. Wash and dry the potatoes, but don't cut them until you're ready to cook. Leave baby potatoes whole, and slice larger potatoes into halves or quarters. For the carrots, choose thicker carrots or larger baby carrots to avoid them getting mushy during the long cook time. Slice the carrots into large chunks, about 2 inches or longer. You can also add other vegetables like onions, celery, and garlic for additional flavour.

With all your ingredients prepped, you're now ready to assemble and cook your crockpot roast with potatoes and carrots!

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Cooking the roast

To cook a roast with potatoes and carrots in a crock pot, you'll first want to prepare your meat. Pat the roast dry and season it with salt and pepper on all sides. You can also add flour to the meat at this stage. Next, heat some olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat and sear the meat on each side for 2-5 minutes until browned.

Once the meat is browned, you can add it to your crock pot. If you want to make a gravy to go with your roast, whisk together your gravy ingredients and add some to the pan you used to brown the meat. Scrape the bottom and sides of the pan with a spatula to add flavour to the gravy, then add this to the crock pot along with the meat.

Now you can add your vegetables. Leave baby potatoes whole, or cut larger potatoes into halves or quarters. Carrots should be cut into large chunks to avoid them going mushy. Layer the vegetables into the crock pot around the meat. You can also add onions, celery, and garlic to the pot for extra flavour.

Finally, pour your broth mixture over the meat and vegetables. Cover the crock pot and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until the meat is tender and falls apart.

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Adding the vegetables

To cook roast potatoes and carrots in a crock pot, you'll want to start by preparing your vegetables. Wash and dry the potatoes, and cut them into halves or quarters, depending on their size—you want to leave them in large pieces to prevent them from getting mushy during the long cooking time. If you're using baby potatoes, it's best to leave them whole. As for the carrots, thicker carrots work better as they won't get mushy. Cut them into large chunks, about 2 inches or longer. You can also add other vegetables like onions, celery, and garlic to enhance the flavor of your dish.

Once you have your vegetables ready, you can start assembling your crock pot. Place the seasoned roast in the center of the crock pot, and arrange the potatoes and carrots around it. If you're using onions, you can place them at the bottom of the crock pot and layer the potatoes and carrots on top. You can also add other aromatics like garlic and fresh herbs like rosemary and thyme to take your dish to the next level.

Now, it's time to add the liquid. Pour your chosen liquid, such as beef broth, chicken broth, or a combination of both, over the roast and vegetables. You can also add other ingredients like soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, or a brown gravy packet to enhance the flavor of your dish. Make sure to pour enough liquid to cover the ingredients in your crock pot.

Finally, put the lid on your crock pot and set it to cook. Depending on the size of your roast, the cooking time may vary. For a 3-pound roast, cook on low for about 8 hours. If you're using a larger roast, you may need to increase the cooking time. Your dish is ready when the meat is tender and falls apart easily.

Once the cooking time is up, remove the lid and take out the roast and vegetables from the crock pot. Place them on a serving platter and shred the meat. If you want to make a gravy, follow the steps outlined in the previous section. Serve your roast and vegetables hot, and don't forget to sprinkle some fresh parsley on top for a pop of color and freshness.

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Making the gravy

The drippings from the pot roast can be used to make gravy. To make the gravy, you can use the juices from the crockpot, or beef broth, or a combination of beef and chicken broth.

To make the gravy, whisk together the gravy ingredients. You can add some of this mixture to the skillet that you used to sear the roast. Use a spatula to scrape the bottom and sides of the skillet, adding flavour to the gravy. Transfer the gravy to the slow cooker, along with the remaining gravy mixture.

You can also thicken the gravy by adding a cornstarch and water mixture, or flour. Stir until it thickens. To make the gravy even richer, you can add soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, or Kitchen Bouquet Browning and Seasoning Sauce. You can also add onion powder, garlic powder, and bouillon.

For a crock pot roast, it is recommended to cook on low for 8-10 hours, or on high for 5-6 hours. Once the meat and vegetables are cooked, remove them from the slow cooker and pour the gravy over them.

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Serving suggestions

Crockpot roast with potatoes and carrots is a hearty and comforting meal, perfect for a cold winter's day. This dish is best served hot, straight from the crockpot, and can be enjoyed as a complete meal in one pot.

When it comes to serving suggestions, the roast, potatoes, and carrots can be accompanied by a variety of sides and toppings. Many recipes recommend making a gravy to go with the dish. You can use the drippings from the crockpot to make a brown gravy by adding butter and flour to a pan over medium heat. Once combined, add the juices from the crockpot and stir until thickened. Alternatively, you can thicken the juices into a gravy by adding cornstarch. This can be done at the very end of cooking to achieve a rich, dark brown colour.

To add extra flavour to the gravy, you can include ingredients such as beef or chicken broth, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, bouillon, or browning and seasoning sauce.

In addition to gravy, you can serve the roast with rolls, corn, salad, macaroni and cheese, or another vegetable side. Leftovers can also be used to create new dishes such as Green Chile Burritos, Loaded Nachos, or Beef Empanadas.

For a more formal presentation, you can transfer the roast and vegetables to a serving platter, tent with foil, and season with salt and pepper if desired.

Finally, to ensure the meat is cooked properly, use an instant-read meat thermometer to check the internal temperature, which should be 145°F prior to serving.

Frequently asked questions

To cook roast potatoes and carrots in a crock pot, first sear the meat in a skillet with olive oil. Then, add the meat to the crock pot with the potatoes and carrots. Pour the broth over the top, cover, and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

Cooking roast potatoes and carrots in a crock pot typically takes 8-10 hours on low heat. This can vary depending on the size of your roast, so larger roasts may take longer.

Waxier potatoes such as Yukon Gold or red potatoes tend to work better than Russets, as they will stay moist and fork-tender without turning mushy.

Crock pot roast and vegetables is a hearty meal that can be served on its own or with a side of rolls, corn, salad, or macaroni and cheese. You can also use any leftover meat for dishes like Green Chile Burritos, Loaded Nachos, or Beef Empanadas.

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