Indian Pot Roast
Submitted by boomweld
Indian pot roast braises beef in rum or red wine with allspice, peppercorns, bay leaf, garlic, and horseradish, finished with carrots and steamed dumplings. A West Indies-influenced colonial-era recipe.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
35 minCOOK
45 minREADY
80 minDon’t let the name confuse you. This isn’t an Indian curry but a West Indies-influenced pot roast, the kind of dish that came out of colonial American kitchens trading with the Caribbean. The dark rum (the recipe’s signature ingredient) and whole allspice berries give the gravy that distinctive island warmth, while horseradish sharpens the rich beef flavor.
A chuck roast or bottom round is what you want here. The marbling and connective tissue need three to four hours of low simmering to break down into the silky, fall-apart texture pot roast is famous for. Trim some of the cap fat but leave most of the marbling intact since it’s where the flavor lives.
The onion bed under the meat is doing two jobs. It elevates the roast off the bottom of the pot to keep it from scorching, and it slowly melts down into the gravy as everything cooks. Don’t skip it.
The drop dumplings cooked right in the gravy in the last 12 minutes are the soul of the dish. They steam to fluffy perfection while soaking up all that spiced beef liquid. Don’t lift the lid while they cook (steam is what makes them rise).
Pro Tips
- Brown the meat hard on all sides. The crust is what gives the gravy its depth.
- Use whole spices instead of ground. Whole peppercorns and allspice infuse the gravy without making it muddy.
- Add the carrots in the last 30 minutes only. Earlier and they turn to mush.
- Skim fat off the gravy before serving for a cleaner finish, or stir it in for richness.
Variations
Ingredients
Directions
Mash the garlic and sauté in the butter.
Rub the meat with salt and flour and brown it well on all sides in the butter.
Lay the meat on a bed of thin-sliced onion in a large Dutch oven or any pot with a tight-fitting lid.
Add the butter, the spices and seasonings and pour the rum or wine over the meat.
(A good pot roast will supply most of its own juices, but as it cooks pour the ½ cup water over it to make an ample supply of gravy.) Cover tightly and simmer for 3 to 4 hours until the roast is tender.
This may be done either in the oven or on the back of the stove.
If you want carrots with the pot roast, add them to the pot for the last half hour of cooking and for the last 12 minutes of cooking add the dumplings to steam in the flavors of the pot.
When the roast is done, remove it to a hot, round platter and surround with the dumplings and carrots.
Stir the grave until smooth, correcting the seasoning if necessary.
Pour it over the roast; if fresh dill is available, cut it over the dish with a lavish hand.
DUMPLINGS: Sift together the dry ingredients and add the milk gradually.
Drop by the spoonful into the gravy and cook with pot roast or stew during the last 12 minutes of cooking.
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