Just made this last night and had it today for lunch...
Yankee Pot Roast
Canola Oil - As Needed
3-4lb Chuck Roast or Eye of Round Roast (Latter is leaner)
2 Large Onions - Finely Diced
6oz Tomato Paste
2-T Flour
1-C Red Wine (Your Favorite)
3-C Beef/Veal Stock
3-C Beef/Veal Demi-Glace
6-8 Large Carrots - Cut into 1" Chunks
1 Bay Leaf
2 Cloves Garlic - Lightly Crushed
1 Sprig Thyme
1 Sprig Parsley
Freshly Ground Black Pepper & Kosher Salt
Pre-heat the oven to 325ºF. Pat down the roast with paper towels to remove as much moisture as possible. Heat an 8qt pot over medium-high heat with a couple tablespoons of oil. When you see a few whisps of smoke, sear the roast on all sides (including the ends), and then set it aside in a bowl.
Reuce the temperature to medium, and add a bit more oil and the onions. Cook until they are nicely caramelized, and then add the tomato paste. Stir it until it smells sweet and has turned a golden-orange. Add the flour with a bit more oil and cook the roux until the raw flour scent has passed. Add the red wine, and deglaze the pan. Stire in the stock & demi-glace and bring the sauce to a simmer. Add the roast (along with any juices) back to the pot, and flip it a couple times to coat the exterior with sauce. Add the carrots around the roast, being careful to submerge all of them. Bring the sauce back to a simmer, then place a tight fitting lid on it and place in the oven. Braise for 2hrs, removing the pot halfway to flip the roast.
Tie the remaining ingredients in some cheesecloth to make a sachet. after the two hours has passed, remove the pot and flip teh roast again. This time *** the sachet, pushing it down into the sauce. Return the pot to the oven for one more hour.
Remove the pot from the oven. Discard the sachet, and remove the roast an carrots to a separate bowl. Place the pot over medium-high heat and reduce the sauce (if needed) to a gravy consistency. Add S&P to taste.
Slice the roast, and return the slice to the pot for at least 15min. Then serve the slices of roast, carrots, and gravy over buttery mashed potatoes. Steamed green beans go well with it.
Braising actually dries out meat, but you don't notice it because the connective tissues between the protein fibers have melted out (making it tender), and the rich sauce/gravy gives it a moist mouthfeel. The oven temperture of 325ºF I listed above is what works for my oven with my 8qt pot. What you want to do is maintain a bare simmer in the pot. If you pull it from the oven to flip the roast after 1hr and it's at a full simmer, cut the temp 25º. If it's static, increase the temp 10-20ºF. 3hrs is usually enough time for me, but different shape and size roast may take anywhere from 2-4hrs. Since the braising process technically overcooks the meat squeezing moisture out into the sauce, you may find the center of a large roast to be tender, but with a slightly dry mouth feel. I return the slices to the sauce for 15-30min and allow the sauce to do it's magic. Be careful though, as the meat is very tender.
Being a one-pot kinda guy, I often just nix the mashed potatoes, and serve it with a nice hunk of baguette. You could also cut back on the number of carrots, and add some similar sized pieces of a waxy potato during the last hour of cooking when you add the sachet.
Serve whatever wine with the dish that you deglazed the pan with.