Apple Orchard Pot Roast

Have you ever done something that you knew immediately was a bad idea, but realized just seconds too late? That's what happened when I was cooking this recipe.

I made this recipe in my dutch oven. When I pulled it out to flip the roast, I opened the lid too quickly and with my exposed hand way too close. Steam burns, if you're wondering, hurt like a... well, they hurt a lot.

I managed to finish cooking, but I was miserable for hours. I burnt four fingers on my right hand, some of them on both the top and bottom of my fingers. I was a little worried I was going to need to go the the doctor. Luckily, Alex was able to wrap my fingers and we got some burn cream.

My fingers peeled. It was pretty gross.

However, despite the carnage, dinner was delicious. Alex was a little weirded out by the apple/beef combo, but I thought everything was quite tasty. I would totally make this again, minus the burnt fingers.

Apple Orchard Pot Roast
From Cooking Light

1 (3-pound) boneless beef bottom round roast
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups apple juice
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 garlic cloves, peeled
6 whole cloves
2 (1 x 3-inch) orange rind strips
1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick
8 turnips (about 1 pound), peeled
6 carrots (about 3/4 pound), peeled and cut into thirds
4 parsnips (about 3/4 pound), peeled and cut into thirds
2 peeled baking potatoes (about 1 pound), halved and quartered
1 peeled sweet potato (about 1 pound), halved and quartered

Preheat oven to 300°.

Trim fat from roast. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until hot. Add roast; cook 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Add apple juice, wine, and orange juice; scrape pan to loosen browned bits. Add salt, garlic, cloves, rind, and cinnamon. Bring to a boil; remove from heat. Cover; bake at 300° for 1 hour.

Remove from oven; turn roast over. Add vegetables to pan; cover and bake 2 additional hours. Increase oven temperature to 400° (do not remove roast from oven). Bake, uncovered, 20 minutes or until roast is very tender. Remove roast and vegetables from pan. Tent roast with foil; let stand 10 minutes before slicing. Strain cooking liquid through a sieve into a bowl; discard solids. Serve with roast and vegetables.