Mediterranean Pot Roast
Red potato recipes are crowd-pleasers, and one dish meals are great for quick and easy kitchen cleanup. Have both with this crockpot dinner recipe. Recipe Courtesy of: Lisa Golden Schroeder, cookbook author, editor and blogger at Foodesigns
Serves6
Ingredients
- 2 large onions, sliced
- 1 c. pitted dried plums (prunes)
- 1 head garlic, broken into cloves, peeled and halved
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 4-lb. pork shoulder roast or beef brisket
- Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 1 tbsp. fennel seed
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1 c. dry red wine or pomegranate juice
- 12 oz. Tasteful Selections® 1-Bite or 2-Bite potatoes
- 12 oz. Tasteful Selections® Mini Sweet potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks
- ¾ c. large pimiento-stuffed green olives
- fresh oregano leaves, if desired
Instructions
- Layer onions, dried plums and garlic in bottom of a large (4-6 qt.) slow cooker. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the meat all over with salt, pepper and half of the fennel seeds. Brown well, being sure to sear the edges of the roast.
- Place meat in slow cooker on top of onion mixture; sprinkle with remaining fennel and oregano. Pour in wine or juice.
- Cover and cook on LOW heat for 10 hours. Add potatoes to slow cooker; cover and cook 1½ to 2 hours longer, or until meat and potatoes are very tender. Remove the roast, potatoes and onions to a serving platter; stir olives into the juices in slow cooker. Serve pan juices over the meat and potatoes.
Notes
Use either a bone-in or boneless roast—plan for less meat if there is a bone. If you’re worried about being home in time to add the potatoes (this is a great recipe to throw together before leaving for work), you can par-cook them in the microwave till nearly tender before adding them to the slow cooker. Allow an hour of cook time, so they absorb the flavor of the cooking juices.
Want a light gravy? Once you remove the pork, potatoes and onions to a platter, pour the juices into a medium saucepan. Dissolve 1 to 2 tablespoons cornstarch in 3-4 tablespoons water; stir into saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil; cook until thickened. Stir in olives and a spoonful of small capers if you’d like, then season with salt and pepper, to taste
If you’d rather braise the meat in the oven, layer the ingredients in a large, deep covered casserole. Place in a 325-degree oven for about 4 hours, adding the potatoes during the last hour or so.