I LOVE books, especially cookbooks! I try not to buy too many or my collection would take over the house, but when a fellow Southern Food Blogger asked if anyone would like to review her new cookbook, I jumped at the chance. I am now a proud owner of “The Southern Slow Cooker” by Kendra Bailey Morris and it is a wonderful book.
See all of those little pink tabs at the top? Those are the recipes I have marked to try. There are several!! The book begins with a little history of Southern cooking and the integration of the slow cooker along with a few other “essential kitchen tools”. Then the real fun begins with all of the recipes. Did you know that you could “bake” a cake in a the slow cooker? Well, you sure can.
Since we are beef lovers around here, it made sense to start with the Rustic Pot Roast with Bacon, Garlic and Rosemary recipe. Wow, the flavor of this dish is amazing. I will admit that there were a couple of ingredients that I forgot so I had to make a little adjustment. I am listing the original recipe below and my “adjustments” are listed next to the ingredients. This is definitely a keeper! I am not going to clog up this post with a lot of “how-to” photos because this recipe is fairly self-explanatory.
2 slices bacon
3 to 4 lb. boneless chuck roast, trimmed of excess fat (I used a 2 lb. roast.)
Salt & black pepper
1 1/2 tsp. olive oil
1 cup beef broth, low sodium
2 onions, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped (I forgot the celery so I used carrots instead.)
2 russet or baking potatoes, peeled & chopped
5 cloves garlic, smashed
1 14oz. can diced tomatoes with juice
1 tbsp. tomato paste
2 sprigs rosemary, plus more to garnish (Didn’t have any rosemary.)
Spray the inside of the slow cooker with cooking spray. Heat a large pan on the stovetop over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until crispy, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Pour off all but 1 teaspoon of the bacon drippings.
Sprinkle the beef with salt & pepper on both sides. Add the olive oil to the pan with the drippings. Brown the beef on all sides to form a crust. This takes about 6 to 8 minutes total. Transfer the meat to the slow cooker and then, over medium high heat, deglaze the pan with the beef broth, scraping up the bits on the bottom of the pan. Pour this over the meat in the slow cooker.
Add the onions, celery (carrots), potatoes, garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste and rosemary (didn’t use) to the slow cooker. Finally add the cooked bacon. Stir well, nestling the vegetables and rosemary in the broth. Cover and cook on low for at least 7 hours and up to 8 hours. (I was running a little short on time so I cooked mine on high for 5 to 6 hours.) This is where I stopped since I did need to leave, but below is the continuation of the original recipe.
Transfer the meat to a platter and turn the slow cooker to high. Leave the cooker uncovered and continue cooking the sauce for 45 minutes, or until it has thickened some. Return the meat to the slow cooker and continue to cook uncovered on high for another 15 to 30 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened a bit more.
Remove the rosemary sprigs and discard. Season the sauce with additional salt & pepper, if needed. Plate the beef on a large platter and spoon the potatoes and sauce around and over the beef. Garnish with additional rosemary sprigs. Save any extra sauce for bread dipping.
This was so tasty! If you are looking for a slow cooker cookbook that has more that just your usual “toss it in and forget it” recipes, this is it!
I think I am going to have to purchase this book. I am starting a new shift at work and these slow cooker recipes will be just the thing I need. Especially since they are written by a fellow blogger!
There are so many great recipes in her book. I can’t wait to try some more of them.
Looks delicious! Anything with bacon must be good! Pinning this! 🙂
I had never thought of browning the roast in bacon drippings before putting it in the slow cooker, but it was so good! Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting. Have a great day!
I am so not a fan of roast, but since we grow beef and pork, I tend to have a million of them (or so it seems). This looks like it would have a good flavor, at least compared to some recipes I’ve seen and tried. Thanks for posting this; I’ll definitely try it! And I think it’s so awesome of you to test a fellow blogger’s book!
This did have really good flavor especially from the bacon. Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting! Have a great week!
Love this kind of dinners for a Sunday! Thanks for sharing at Sweet & Savory Saturdays #29.
~Amber @ DessertNowDinnerLater.com
Hi, this pot roast looks so good! I saw it on what’s cooking wed.
Julie from julieslifestyle.blogspot.com
Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting! I love to have new readers. Have a great day!
Your pot roast looks delicious. I love using my slow cooker. I will be giving your recipe a try real soon. Pinning! Thanks for sharing at The Gathering Spot 🙂
Thanks for your sweet comment! I hope you like it because we sure did. Have a great day!
I wanted to invite you to the Friday Flash Blog Party, the best linky in town! I hope you’ll join us and link up. Who knows. You may just get highlighted!
The party goes on ALL weekend.
Jennifer @ The Jenny Evolution
http://www.thejennyevolution.com
Thanks for stopping by and for the invitation! I just linked up with your party and started following you via Bloglovin’, Twitter & Pinterest.
I love pot roast and your recipe looks so good! Stopping by from the Best of the Weekend. Would love for you to stop by my websitehttp://timelesstreasuretrove.com
Your photo is just beautiful. What a great recipe and Thank you for sharing it on our BBQ Block Party.
I love a good Pot Roast, this looks like a great recipe with the addition of the bacon it will have great flavor. Thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday and have a fun weekend!
Come Back Soon,
Miz Helen
This looks absolutely delicious and I love the addition of tomatoes and tomatoe paste. Yum! Thanks for sharing on the BBQ Block Party.
Dear Tammi, Cookbooks are my favorite books too! This pot roast looks absolutely delicious! How perfect now that the cold weather is beginning to set in. Found you through Best of the Weekend. I am hosting a giveaway please be sure to stop by and enter. Today’s the last day! Blessings, Catherine
Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting! I appreciated the invitation to enter your giveaway as well. Have a great day!
Oh wow, that sounds wonderful! My cookbooks are taking over my house, I just love them! 😉 Thank you so much for joining us and sharing at Best of the Weekend! Pinning to our party board, and we hope to see you again on Friday.
Thanks for sharing this cook book and recipe. Thanks also for linking up at Saturday Dishes “CROCK-POT” blog hop.
I pinned it.
Blessings,
Diane Roark
http://www.recipesforourdailybread.com