Garlicky Pot Roast

Garlicky Pot Roast

For the marinade

3 tablespoons chopped garlic (about 4 large cloves)

¼ cup light brown sugar

¼ cup olive oil, plus extra for browning the roast

½ cup balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons tomato paste

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

One 3- to 5-pound chuck roast, fat trimmed

Olive oil

For the sauce

2 large Spanish onions, chopped

6 garlic cloves, chopped

1 cup dark beer

1 whole head of roasted garlic (see note)

2 cups chicken stock

1 cup crumbled gingersnaps (about 15 small cookies; store-bought are fine)

¼ cup tomato paste

In a bowl large enough to hold the roast, stir together the chopped garlic, brown sugar, olive oil, vinegar, tomato paste, and 1 tablespoon each salt and pepper. Add the roast and turn it to coat on all sides. Cover the bowl and marinate for at least 3 hours, or overnight in the refrigerator.

Place a large sauté pan over medium heat. Lightly coat the bottom of the pan with olive oil. Remove the roast from the marinade and pat dry. Discard the marinade. Lightly season the roast with salt and pepper. Brown the meat on all sides, about 7 minutes per side. Set aside the roast but do not clean the pan.

Preheat a 6½-quart slow cooker to high.

For the sauce: Add the onions to the sauté pan and cook until brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the chopped garlic cloves and cook for 2 to 3 minutes more, until the garlic is very fragrant and has softened slightly; do not let the garlic brown. Add the beer. Scrape up the browned bits with a wooden spoon or spatula. Transfer the mixture to the slow cooker insert.

Place the roast and any collected juices in the insert. Squeeze the roasted garlic out of the skin and into the insert. Add the stock, gingersnaps and tomato paste. Stir together. Cover and cook the roast on high for 7 to 8 hours, until it can be pierced easily with a fork.

Remove the roast and keep warm. Strain the sauce before serving. Cut the roast into large chunks and serve hot. Pass the sauce.

Serves 6 to 8.

Editor's note: Frankel's book calls for roasting several heads of garlic in the slow cooker in advance. To use this method, cut the very top (nonroot end) off the heads, place them on a sheet of aluminum foil and drizzle with olive oil. Seal the foil well and cook on low for eight hours. A head of garlic can also be roasted in the oven (see steps above) for about 35 minutes on 425 degrees.

Reprinted with permission from “Jewish Slow Cooker Recipes” by Laura Frankel, Agate Surrey, 2015