Herb-Roasted Pot Roast with Rosemary, Thyme, and Bay

3 hr 30 min · 6 servings

The American Sunday classic, treated like a herb-forward Tuscan braise. Beef chuck, three Mediterranean herbs, red wine, and a Dutch oven — the whole afternoon does the work for you.

Ingredients

• 3½ lb beef chuck roast, trimmed
• Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, cut into 8 wedges
• 3 large carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 head garlic, halved crosswise
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1½ cups dry red wine (anything you’d drink)
• 2 cups beef stock
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme
• 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 3 bay leaves
• 1½ lb baby Yukon Gold potatoes, halved
• ¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley, for finishing

Method

1. Heat the oven to 325°F. Pat the chuck dry and season generously with salt and pepper on all sides — about 2 tsp salt total. Let it sit at room temperature 20 minutes while the oven heats.
2. Warm the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear the roast 4–5 minutes per side, until deeply browned on every face. Move to a plate.
3. Drop the heat to medium. Add the onion, carrots, and garlic with a pinch of salt; cook 6–7 minutes, stirring, until the onions are translucent and the carrots have a little color.
4. Stir in the tomato paste and cook 90 seconds, until brick-red and toasted-smelling.
5. Pour in the wine, scraping the bottom of the pan. Reduce 4 minutes, until thick and syrupy.
6. Add the stock, thyme, rosemary, and bay. Bring to a simmer. Nestle the roast back in (it should be about two-thirds submerged — top up with water if needed). Cover.
7. Move to the oven. Braise 2 hours 30 minutes. Add the potatoes, cover again, and braise another 45 minutes, until the meat shreds with a fork and the potatoes are tender.
8. Let the pot rest, uncovered, 15 minutes off the heat. Fish out the herb stems and bay leaves. Spoon the meat, vegetables, and pan sauce into shallow bowls and shower with parsley.

Notes from our kitchen

The three-herb combination here is the classic French/Italian braising trinity — see A Field Guide to Thyme and A Field Guide to Rosemary for why they work together. Bay quietly does about a third of the heavy lifting; don’t skip it.

What to cook with it

This is built to pair with crusty bread to mop up the sauce, but a simple bright salad on the side balances the richness. Try the dressing from our Lemon Mint Greek Salad. Leftovers, shredded and tossed with the pan sauce, make extraordinary sandwiches. For more cold-weather herb-forward cooking, see Rosemary White Bean & Lemon Soup.

Gear that helps

A heavy 7-quart enameled cast iron Dutch oven is the entire game here — it handles the high-heat sear and the long, slow braise in the same pan. A sharp chef’s knife for the vegetables, and a Microplane for finishing parmesan or lemon zest on top if you go that way. See A Beginner’s Guide to Choosing Your First Chef’s Knife.