If you mention “pot roast” in the U.S., many people think of a hearty comfort food made by slow cooking a tough cut of beef in moist heat—chuck steak, short ribs, rump roast, and others. So what’s a carrot pot roast?

It’s a vegan alternative to beef pot roast, that can made the same way: on the stove top in a Dutch oven or pressure pressure cooker, in a slow cooker, or in the oven.

> The history of carrots. They were originally white, not orange (see photo #2).

> A year of carrot-related holidays is below.

> The history of pot roast is below.

> Check out these 15 beef pot roast recipes. They have spice accents ranging from Asian to Bavarian to Caribbean to Mediterranean and beyond (photos #6, #7, #8, #9).
 
 
RECIPE: CARROT POT ROAST

This is true comfort food, in addition to more healthful than beef and highly aromatic dinner.

The recipe is by Chef Jamie Simpson, Executive Chef Liaison at The Culinary Vegetable Institute. It’s excerpted from The Chef’s Garden: A Modern Guide to Common and Unusual Vegetables.

To achieve the right richness of texture and flavor, it’s essential to make the demi-glace in Step 8. See footnote†.

You can make it a week in advance or even earlier, as it freezes well.

> Gift idea: The Chef’s Garden grows the finest vegetables for top chefs. You can send someone a gift box. “>Take a look.
 
Ingredients For 4 Main Course Servings

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 375°F. If you have an exhaust vent, turn it on.

2. TOSS toss the carrots in a large bowl with the salt and flour.

3. HEAT a thin coating of vegetable oil in a large skillet until very hot. Add the carrots to the skillet and cook over high heat, turning occasionally, until they are deeply browned all over and even black in spots, about 15 minutes. Transfer the carrots to an ovenproof braising pan, about 10 inches in diameter.

4. REDUCE the heat under the skillet to medium high and add more oil if needed. Add the pearl onions and garlic, and cook until deeply browned and black in spots, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to the braising pan. With the heat still on medium high…

5. ADD the potatoes to the skillet and cook until charred, about 12 minutes. Transfer to the braising pan.

6. ADD the leek to the skillet and also cook until charred, about 3½ minutes. Transfer the leek to the braising pan.

7. ADD the wine to the skillet and cook, scraping up any browned and black bits from the bottom. Add the thyme and peppercorns, bring to a boil, and cook over medium-high heat until reduced by half, about 3 minutes.

8. TRANSFER the reduced wine to the braising pan. Add the demi-glace to the braising pan, then transfer the pan, uncovered, to the oven. Cook until the carrots are fork-tender, about 45 minutes. Let cool slightly. Remove and discard the thyme and peppercorns. While the oven is still hot…

9. HEAT four dinner plates. Use a slotted spoon to divide the vegetables among the plates. Set the pan over medium-high heat on the stovetop. When the liquid is just barely simmering, add the butter, slowly, whisking until melted. Spoon the liquid over the vegetables and serve.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF POT ROAST

Pot roast originated as a peasant dish in Europe. It was prepared by the slow cooking technique known as braising—a way for less affluent people to cook cheaper, tougher cuts of meat.

Different regions developed their own versions of what we know as American pot roast. For example:

 
The cooking method is more important than the recipe, since spices and liquids can vary.

The recipe begins by browning a cut of beef in fat; this step improves the flavor. The other ingredients (liquid, vegetables) are combined and then cooked low and slow in a covered dish.

While the toughness of their fibers makes some cuts of meat unsuitable for oven roasting, slow cooking for hours tenderizes them. The result is tender, succulent meat and a rich liquid that can be enjoyed as is or easily turned into a thicker gravy.

The term “pot roast” began appearing in American cookbooks in the late 19th century [source].

The less costly meat plus a recipe that is easy to prepare has made pot roast a popular dish.

In the U.S., a variation called Yankee pot roast‡, a New England specialty that originated in the 19th century.

A more recent creation from the American South, Mississippi Pot Roast‡‡ is made with chuck, ranch dressing mix, and a jar of pepperoncini chile peppers.

Ah, evolution!
 
 
CARROT HOLIDAYS & RELATED CELEBRATIONS

[1] A hearty, luscious, vegan carrot pot roast (photos #1 and #2 and recipe © Farmer Jones Farm® At The Chef’s Garden).

[2] Over the millennia, the original carrots, which were white, mutated into other colors.

[3] The recipe uses petite potatoes (also called baby or creamer potatoes), which are bite-sized versions of larger potato varieties. They can be bred to be small from any type of potato; they are mature potatoes (photo © Potato Goodness).

[4] A leek adds complexity of flavor and aromatics (photo © Good Eggs).

[5] Add a cup of red wine to the carrot stew pot, and drink the rest of the bottle with the dish (photo © Tribella).

[6] A pot roast with Caribbean flavors, including sweet potatoes, orange zest and baking cocoa. Here’s the recipe (photos #6, #7, #8, #9 © Taste Of Home).

[7] This German-accented pot roast includes sauerkraut, German mustard, chopped dill pickles, and sour cream. Here’s the recipe.

[8] Accents in this Moroccan-inspired pot roast include garbanzo beans, eggplant, honey and mint. Here’s the recipe.

[9] This Asian version is made with snow peas, scallions, and black bean sauce, and is served with rice. Here’s the recipe.

†Demi-glace can be frozen for up to six months. You can freeze it in ice cube trays and transfer the cubes to freezer bags. Add a cube of demi-glace to any sauce or stock for an extra flavor boost.

‡Yankee pot roast ingredients Common ingredients include beef chuck roast, carrots, celery, onions, and red wine (or apple juice/cider). Other vegetables that can be added include, mushrooms, parsnips, rutabaga, and turnips.

‡‡Mississippi Pot Roast: Robin Chapman, a home cook from Ripley, Mississippi, created the recipe in the 1990s, adapting her aunt’s pot roast recipe.