Look away, vegetarians and vegans. This one’s for the carnivores. I’m going to step out on a limb here and call this the BEST beef & gravy recipe I’ve ever eaten. I’ve also been told I make the best mashed potatoes too, so I’ll try to share my recipe, if you can even call it that. Mostly it’s a dump this and that and there we go, good consistency, we’re done, kind of recipe.
INGREDIENTS:
1 roast beef (any size or cut will do as long as it fits in your crock pot)
3 cups water
3 t vegetable or beef bouillon (just be sure it’s MSG free)
3 T crushed garlic
2 T dijon mustard
3 T apple cider vinegar
1 t dried or fresh chopped rosemary
1 t dried or fresh chopped thyme
1/4 cup corn starch dissolved in 1/2 cup cold water
2 lb bag of potatoes, peeled and diced bite size
1/4 cup salted butter (the real stuff!)
1/4 cup milk
green beans, steamed
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Pull your crock pot out of the bowels of your deepest darkest cupboard, give it a good clean, put the roast in, plug it in, and set on high or auto for 5 hours.
- Combine water, bouillon, garlic, mustard, vinegar, rosemary, and thyme, whisk till mostly smooth, and pour over the roast.
- Cook until beef is tender and falls apart easily with a fork (generally 4-5 hours on high setting). Or you can use one of those fancy meat thermometers to tell when it’s done.
- About an hour before the beef is ready, prep potatoes, put in a large pot, and cover in water.
- Turn potatoes on high, bring to a boil, turn down to medium heat, and cook till potatoes are tender when pricked with a fork.
- Drain water off potatoes, add 1/4 cup of butter (vegan becel works well for dairy-free) and 1/4 cup of milk (cashew or barista oat milk are good for dairy-free), mash with an electric hand blender till smooth and creamy. Add more milk or butter if necessary until you achieve prime mashed potato consistency.
- Remove the beef from the crock pot when it is ready, and set on a serving plate, cover in foil to keep warm. Let rest while you make the gravy and steam some green beans.
- Place a bag of frozen green beans in a medium pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, remove from heat, strain, and set aside.
- While the green beans are steaming, it’s time to make the gravy… strain the beef juices into a medium pot.
- Whisk cornstarch with cold water in a mug (fork works well) to make a smooth and runny thickener (makes approx 1/2 cup). Add thickener to beef juices, whisk till smooth, and bring to low rolling boil over medium high heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat when gravy begins to thicken. Add salt & pepper to taste.
- Serve sliced hot beef and mashed potatoes with a generous helping of gravy alongside steamed green beans with a pat of butter (or dairy-free margarine) for a delicious comfort food meal. Enjoy!
Plum Hill 