French Love Affair Crockpot Peppered Herbes De Provence Roast

Total Time: 6 hrs 30 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 6 hrs

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1 beef chuck roast (1-2 pounds)
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons herbes de provence
• 1 tablespoon ground fennel
• 1 -2 tablespoon mixed peppercorns, ground
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 4 -6 medium-large red potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
• 1 lb sliced carrot
• 1 medium onion, sliced very thin into rounds and separated
• salt, to taste
• 2 cups beef broth, for the crock pot (and au jus)
• additional herbes de provence and thyme, for seasoning potatoes and carrots

Recipe

• 1 mix the herbes de provence, ground fennel, ground pepper and thyme together.
• 2 pat the beef dry with paper towels (this is important as surface moisture will interfere with good browning). lightly oil outside of the roast with the olive oil.
• 3 rub the mixture over the roast so that all surfaces are coated with the herbs.
• 4 heat a large skillet over high heat. sear the roast on all sides (about 3 rotations, approximately 1 minutes each). when browned, immediately remove from heat.
• 5 note: for best results, fill the crockpot 2/3 full with roast and vegetables; this produces the best results when using a crockpot.
• 6 add the beef broth to crockpot.
• 7 add the roast to the crockpot. layer carrots, potatoes and onions on top and sides of roast, sprinkling each layer with herbes, thyme, and salt, as desired.
• 8 cook on high for 2 hours, then reduce temperature to low and cook an additional 4 hours.
• 9 when ready to serve, carefully remove roast (it may fall apart) to platter, and surround with carrots, potatoes and onions. this will not make as pretty a presentation as a roast and vegetables roasted in the oven; the crockpot tends to turn things a dull brown color, but the flavors are usually magnified.
• 10 add au jus as desired.
• 11 serve with a green salad and toasted french bagette slices with butter.