When a nice Jewish boy from Jersey and a Latina diva meet and fall in love, it's the magic of blending those two cultures that makes life so wonderful. We have taken what we love of the traditions from our childhoods and celebrate both Easter and Passover at our Eastover dinner.  

As a chef, I don't usually use a recipe, but Carolyn thought this pot roast recipe from Jeanne Thiel Kelley sounded pretty good. Let me tell you, it did not disappoint! This pot roast will be gracing our table this Eastover.

Ingredients

1 teaspoon olive oil 1 (3-pound) boneless chuck roast, trimmed 
1 teaspoon kosher salt 
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
2 cups coarsely chopped onion 
1 cup dry red wine 
4 thyme sprigs 
3 garlic cloves, chopped 
1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium beef broth 
1 bay leaf 4 large carrots, peeled and cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces 
2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces 
Fresh thyme leaves (optional)

Method:

Step 1
Preheat oven to 350º.

Step 2
Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chuck roast with salt and pepper. Add roast to pan; cook 5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Remove roast from pan. Add onion to pan; sauté 8 minutes or until tender.

Step 3
Return browned roast to pan. Add the red wine, thyme sprigs, chopped garlic, beef broth, and bay leaf to pan; bring to a simmer. Cover pan and bake at 350° for 1 1/2 hours or until the roast is almost tender.

Step 4
Add carrots and potatoes to pan. Cover and bake an additional 1 hour or until vegetables are tender. Remove thyme sprigs and bay leaf from pan; discard. Shred meat with 2 forks. Serve roast with vegetable mixture and cooking liquid. Garnish with thyme leaves, if desired.

*you can also fry the potatoes in the same pan that you seared the beef in and then add to the meat and sauce, when you are ready to serve.

I like to serve this with a dry red wine.