I’m not a huge fan of pot roast in the slow cooker – I’d really rather just do a roast in the oven.  But this has been an out-of-control work month, and the slow cooker is about the only cooking that happened.  This was a really great recipe, actually, the red wine made a difference.  We had this with spinach and the veggies from the slow cooker.

• 4 pounds boneless beef chuck, rump, or bottom round
• 1 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 large carrots,peeled and chopped
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 2 celery ribs,chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• pinch of ground cloves
• 2 cups dry red wine
• 2 cups low-sodium beef broth

Pat the meat dry with paper towel. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook until nicely browned on all sides, about 10-15 minutes total.

Scatter the carrots, onion,celery, garlic, herbs, and cloves in a large slow cooker. Place the beef on top.

Pour the wine into the skillet and bring to a simmer, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen the browned bits. Cook for 1 minute.

Pour the wine over the beef. Add the broth to the slow cooker and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until the beef is tender when pierced with a fork.

Remove the beef to a platter and keep warm.  Serve as is with a bit of the juice from the pot, or you can make a pan sauce with some cornstarch added to the liquid to simmer until thickened.