Harvest Crock Pot Roast

Ingredients:

½ beef roast, of any size and quality
½ onion, sliced thickly
½ large sweet potatoes or 1/2 large yam, peeled and cut in 1” chunks
¼ lb whole baby yellow squash, rinsed, with stems cut off (optional)
1 large granny smith apple (about a pound) cored and cut in large chunks.
¾ cup spicy apple cider 

   (¾ c apple cider, 1 TBSP orange juice, ⅛ tsp cinnamon, a pinch of nutmeg, ⅛ tsp orange zest, and a dash of lemon juice.)
⅛ cup apple cider vinegar
⅛ cup brown sugar
garam masala (an Indian spice blend)
kosher salt
roux, for gravy (optional)

Directions:

o        Place thick-sliced onions in bottom of slow cooker.

o        Trim any visible fat from roast. Sear the roast (while it was still frozen, if possible)

o        Rub the roast all over, on both sides, with garam masala and salt to taste. 

o        Place roast in slow cooker with yam or sweet potato, squash, and apples piled around it.

o        Mix together spicy cider, vinegar, and sugar.

o        Pour cider mixture over meat and vegetables, making sure all parts of the roast are covered by about the same amount of liquid, and no vegetables are dry.

o        This can be refrigerated overnight at this point. 

o        Cover and cook on “high” for 5 to 8 hours, or “low” 10 to 12 hours, until roast falls apart easily when tested with a serving spoon.
o        Drain the apple juice out before serving it. (Set the juice aside for cooking other yummy things.)

o        If you feel like it, make gravy from some of the liquids in a saucepan.

Comments: 

• This is pretty darned good. 
• Make the gravy! Oh my goodness, make the gravy!
• This goes with lighter beer, not stouts or dark ales. 
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