Potatoes To The Rescue

Well apparently I got the marathon training schedule wrong.
Jerry was supposed to start shoveling in the carbs last night.
The night I had a pot roast in the slow cooker.

Since I had dinner practically done, it seemed like an excellent afternoon for a manicure with Mom.

We decided to try a gel manicure, since it is supposed to last up to two weeks. Unfortunately, the salon didn't have a ton of color choices in the gel polishes. I was hoping for a Merlot color and ended up with bright red. Mom went with a pretty chocolate brown. I'm jealous.

I love how the gel manicure looks. My nails are so shiny they look wet.
I'll let you know how long it lasts.

So back to the dinner with no carbs. How to solve this problem?
With mashed potatoes, of course.

 

Jerry's plate had lots more potatoes than mine. I told him to load up on the vegetables, but go easy on the meat. Then I saw him sneaking extra sharp cheddar onto his plate. 

If cheese and onions were carbohydrate dense foods, Jerry would be the best carbo-loader around. 

I didn't exactly use a pot roast recipe for this dinner. I liked the flavors in Tyler Florence's Ultimate Braised Brisket. Same concept as a pot roast, just a different cut of meat. 

Chuck roast (commonly used for pot roast), is the upper portion of chest, while brisket is the lower portion. 

Source

I used a bone in chuck roast (Tylutki beef). The recipe called for carrots, celery, onion, tomatoes, wine, and lots of rosemary. Sounded like a winner to me!

I used a splash of white wine that I had already open. Didn't want to open a new bottle since we weren't going to finish it. I substituted the rest of the liquid with chicken stock.

Jerry likes the juices of the pot roast to have more of a gravy-like consistency. 

To make a gravy, we took about 1/2 cup of the liquid and mixed it with 3 tablespoons of flour in a small bowl. Stir until it is smooth and lump free.

You will end up with a paste (or slurry, in cooking terms).

We strained out the vegetables and brought the rest of the liquid to a boil on the stove top.
Whisk the slurry into the hot liquid. Let bubble for a few minutes to see how thick it will be.
Repeat the process until you get the consistency you want.

I almost forgot to add my favorite slow-cooked meat condiment to my pot roast.

Horseradish Sour Cream.

I love the spicy/sour flavor with the rich meat and gravy.
I stole this garnish from Tyler Florence's Ultimate Beef Stew recipe. (Which is also delicious).
The beef was so tender, I inhaled my dinner.

I ended up with heartburn. I chewed some Tums and fell asleep on the couch at 9pm, before Modern Family and Top Chef! 


Has anyone tried a gel manicure? Did you like it?