Brisket is the centerpiece of many holiday tables, but pot roast, cooked to succulent tenderness in a full-bodied braising liquid brightened with the tang of wine and tomato and enriched with a heady trio of cinnamon, bay leaf, and thyme is just as special without sacrificing tradition.
•Pot roast can be made up to 2 days ahead. Keep meat unsliced in sauce. Slice meat while cold (it will cut much easier into neater slices), and then reheat in sauce.
Recipe information
Total Time
3 3/4 hours
Yield
Makes 8 servings
Ingredients
Special Equipment
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.
Step 2
On a large plate mix together matzoh cake meal with 1 tablespoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Pat meat dry then coat with matzoh meal mixture, dusting off excess (discard matzoh meal but reserve plate).
Step 3
Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a 6- to 7-quart-wide heavy pot over medium high heat until oil shimmers. Brown meat on all sides, totaling about 12 minutes. Transfer to plate.
Step 4
Reduce heat to medium and add onions, carrots, and parsnips to pot with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to soften and turn golden, 8 to 10 minutes.
Step 5
Add wine to pot and boil, scraping up any bits from bottom of pan until wine is reduced by half.
Step 6
Add chicken broth, tomatoes in juice, thyme, bay leaves, and cinnamon stick to pot and bring to a simmer. Return meat to pot and cover with lid. Place in oven and braise until meat is tender when pierced with a fork, about 3 hours.
Step 7
Transfer meat to a cutting board. Remove thyme sprigs, bay leaves, and cinnamon stick. Transfer 2 cups braising liquid to a blender and purée until smooth (use caution when pureeing hot liquids). Stir pureed sauce into liquid in pot and adjust seasoning if necessary.
Step 8
Discard strings from meat and cut into thick slices (it may fall apart as you slice it because it's so tender), then return meat to sauce and serve.
