Balsamic Crock Pot Roast Beef

Adapted from this recipe
Serves 6

2-3 lb. beef round roast (I used round tip roast)
4-5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 small can beef broth
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. honey
1/2 C. balsamic vinegar
1 medium onion, sliced
Buns
Blue cheese and horseradish cream sauce (recipe below)


Combine the garlic, broth, soy sauce, Worcestershire, honey, and vinegar together in a bowl. Place roast in a slow cooker and pour sauce over. Cover, and cook on low for 5-6 hours. Remove from slow cooker, wrap in tinfoil and let rest for 10 minutes. Keep the broth for au jus dipping! When ready to serve, remove foil, and pull apart using a fork.  Spread blue cheese horseradish sauce on the bun, top with beef and caramelized onions. Be sure to use the leftover broth -- drizzle on top of the sandwich or dip. Enjoy!

Blue Cheese and Horseradish Cream Sauce

1 (8oz.) small container sour cream
2-4 Tbsp. horseradish (to taste)
2-3 Tbsp. blue cheese crumbles

Combine all ingredients together. Add horseradish to taste - depending on how hot you like it. Be careful not to add too much cheese as it can be overpowering.

What's the purple stuff you might ask? Mashed potatoes using blue and yellow new potatoes. Add a little greek yogurt, butter, ranch dressing, and caramelized onions.

Porchetta (Italian Pork Roast)

'What the heck is porchetta?' you might ask. Well, it's the most delicious pork roast you'll ever have. Don't be fooled by grocery store or butcher shop imitations. The only way to make this authentic dish is to do it yourself.

Porchetta brings warm memories of my childhood. Every once in a while, my dad would bring home a porchetta roast from a co-worker's grandma. These were true authentic Italian Pork Roasts. My mom would roast it in the oven and the house would fill with the aroma of spices and fennel. I'm pretty sure we never had any leftovers when we had it for dinner...

This was my first attempt at the recipe after researching recipes online. I knew that the key ingredient was fennel seeds, but the rest I wasn't sure about. Let me tell you, the salt, and especially the smoked salt, was just as critical as the fennel. Throw it in the crockpot and in a few short hours the roast is falling apart. I paired the roast with a low-carb version of mashed potatoes using celery root and rutabaga.

Porchetta (serves 6)

4-5 lbs. bone-in pork shoulder

1/2 C. dry white wine

1/2 C. chicken stock

Rub:

8 garlic cloves

2 Tbsp. fresh rosemary

1 Tbsp. dried parsley

1/2 Tbsp. sea salt

1 tsp. smoked salt

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 Tbsp. fennel seed

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

olive oil

In a food processor or using a stick blender, grind up the rub ingredients into a paste. Poke holes into the roast and stuff pockets with the rub. In a large pan, heat the olive oil and sear each side of the roast (about 3-4 minutes per side). Remove from the pan and rub with the remaining paste mixture. Place into  a crock pot (cut up if you need to) and add in the wine and chicken stock. Turn the crock pot on high and cook for 4-5 hours until meat falls apart.

Celery Root and Rutabaga Puree (serves 6)

2 lbs. celery root, peeled and cut up into large pieces

2 lbs. rutabaga, peeled and cut up into large pieces

2 oz. goat cheese

2 Tbsp. butter

chicken stock

Salt and Pepper

Boil the celery root and rutabaga in water until tender (about 20 minutes). Drain. Add the goat cheese, butter, chicken stock, and salt and pepper. Puree with a stick blender.