If you make just one of my recipes all winter…make it my pot roast. It takes a few hours, but is so simple – and what better way to spend a lazy winter Sunday than curled up with a book while a delicious roast simmers away on the stove? 

First, let’s talk pots. My dutch oven is on the smaller side and won’t fit a big roast, so I just used a huge soup pot. Really, you can use any heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid (TJ Maxx carries Le Creuset at crazy prices). 

Now, meat. You want a kinda fatty (=flavorful) cut, and it can be tough, because the long, slow cooking process will break down the connective tissue, resulting in a meltingly tender roast. Look for a cut with nice marbling, but avoid ones with long ribbons of fat.

The best cuts of meat for a pot roast are:

– Chuck (what I used)

– Brisket

– Top round

– Bottom round

Or you can just go to your butcher, explain that you’re making a pot roast, and ask him for suggestions. Make sure to get a nice, big piece of meat, because next-day pot roast is even better…you definitely want leftovers.