3-4 tablespoon chipotle paste (or substitute equal amounts of chipotles in adobo sauce, pureed)
3 large garlic cloves, unpeeled
Salt, about 1/2 teaspoon, plus a little coarse salt for the final presentation, if you have it
Sugar, about 1/4 teaspoon
Roast:
3 pound boneless beef chuck roast, 2-1/2 to 3 inches thick
(it'll cook best if it's tied into a compact shape)
1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil
4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch rounds
2 onions, peeled (if you'd like), pitted and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
4 medium boiling potatoes (like the red-skin ones), cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
The salsa: roast the unpeeled garlic on the griddle or skillet over medium heat, turning occasionally until soft (they will blacken in spots), about 15 minutes; cool and peel. Put garlic into food processor or blender, and process to a rather fine-textured puree. Transfer to a bowl and stir in enough water (3 to 4 tablespoons) to give the sauce a medium consistency. Season to taste with salt and sugar. Add the paste in and blend.
The roast: In a shallow dish, smear the meat with the salsa, cover and refrigerate for several hours (the longer the better - up to 24 hours - to infuse the meat with the smokiness). When you're ready to cook the meat, turn on the oven to 325 degrees. Scrape as much salsa as possible off the meat and reserve. Dry the meat on paper towels and sprinkle with salt. Heat the oil in a heavy, medium-size (4 quart) pot, (preferably a Dutch oven) over medium-high; when hot, add the roast and brown on one side about 5 minutes, then flip and brown the other side. Remove the roast to a plate; pour 1 cup of water into the pot and boil over medium, scraping up the browned bits. Stir in the reserved salsa, and then return the roast to the pan. Cover tightly and bake for two hours, until the meat is just tender. Distribute the vegetables around the meat, stir to coat them with the pan juices, cover and continue cooking until the meat and vegetables are tender, 30 to 45 minutes.
Serving: Use two large metal spatulas (or meat forks) to transfer the roast to a large, warm serving platter. Scoop out the vegetables with a slotted spoon and distribute them around the meat. Skim off the fat from pan juices, and if necessary, boil them to reduce until lightly thickened; there should be about a cup. Taste and season with salt if necessary, then splash the sauce over the meat and vegetables. Sprinkle with cilantro and coarse salt.
Advance preparation:
The salsa (step 1) can be made a day or two ahead, as can the whole dish, though the texture of the meat and vegetables is best right out of the oven. If done ahead of time, refrigerate covered, and then reheat in the oven, adding a little water to the pan juices as they reheat if they have thickened too much.
Variations and Improvisations:
An equal-size pork shoulder roast or equal weight of chicken thighs can be substituted for the beef (chicken and vegetables can cook together - a total of about 40 or 45 minutes). Other cuts of beef to use include sirloin tip, rump, top round or eye of the round, almost all of which are leaner and will need to be very tightly covered to ensure that they don't dry out.
Posted: 1/19/2010 10:58:30 AM