Friday, April 26, 2013

Copy-Cat WS Yankee Pot Roast Braising Base

When I was first married I found an amazing recipe for Pot Roast Stew with Stilton Crust. It sounded delicious  and we wanted to serve it to some friends of our from England. However it called for a jar of "Yankee Pot Roast Braising Base" from William Sonoma. Even though I was working there at the time, there was no way I was paying $16 for a jar of sauce! So, I checked the ingredient  list and improvised the following recipe myself. It probably took me twice as long to make the pot roast since I had to first make the sauce then the roast but it was delicious and our friends were impressed. Not bad for a new bride. If you want to save some time on the day you plan to serve the pot roast, make up a large batch of this sauce in advance and freeze it.


1 Onion
1 cup red wine
8 oz white mushrooms,
8 oz cremini mushrooms,
4 oz wild mushrooms
2 sticks celery,
2 carrots,
1 small can tomato paste,
2 cups beef stock
2 Tbps red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic,
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil,
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp thyme,
2 tsp rosemary,
2 bay leaves.


Chop all dry ingredients except bay leaves very fine in food processor. Combine in large stock pot on stove with bay leaves and wet ingredients The mix should be very thick but not dry, add more beef stock if necessary. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat and continue to simmer up to two hours (the longer it simmers the more flavor develops.) Use as a base for "Pot Roast Stew"

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