The Best Stovetop Pot Roast Recipe That Tastes Like Childhood Memories

The drive to Aunt Ruby’s wasn’t far, just about forty-five minutes or so to Baytown Texas, from our home In Alta Loma, Texas, but it seemed like forever. Just along the highway of the rugged coastline, salt air filled my nose as I dreamed of crabs, juicy oysters, crawfish, and shrimp. Aunt Ruby was the only sister of my Daddy. He had two other brothers that we didn’t see much, she was quite a prize. A smile started that I could not contain. Aunt Ruby really was like a queen, the very best fairyland image of all. Going to her house was like hitting the lottery, making a home run, having a year of vacation, having it all. She did have a grown son, but we rarely saw him. She also had a clear understanding of the minds of children. She created the best two weeks of the year, all jammed into a glorious, fantastic time that never ended. We went every summer, like clockwork. Once we hit-the-door to her house, all normal things melted away. We were in Aunt Ruby land, a magical almost mythical place of peace and joy and fun. Unexplainable and inexplicable for me then.

Barely before my mother parked the car, we were running toward her sprawling ranch house. Once indoors, we breathed the smell of cookies and sticky confectionaries that lined her kitchen counters. Shelf after shelf of glass-domed cookies, candies and cakes, oh my! Chocolate fudge, pecan divinity, white chocolate haystacks, and chocolate covered cherries rounded out the candy. Pecan and chocolate pies peeked out of glass barriers; their pearl life-essence glistened and beckoned to me. Miniature double chocolate cookies, coconut macaroons and éclairs whispered my name. Finally, the freezer held rows and rows of carefully hand-crafted chocolate sundaes sitting like little soldiers with their dreamy marshmallow topping and whole cherries with stems on top. Heaven, I reached it, I was just sure they were all for me.

Life at Aunt Ruby’s was like none other and not just the homemade sweets. Time seemed suspended as we played and sang and danced there. She taught us things that we didn’t know. How to sew, how to waltz, how to play croquette, how to cook perfect oyster stew, make Chocolate La Mange, even canapés. But my favorite thing she made was her Stovetop Chuck Roast with Mashed Potatoes and Brown Gravy. It seemed like wizard land, but really it was just Aunt Ruby, my Dad’s sister, who managed to make everything look effortless and cool and beautiful. Just like her.

Once I heard her say that in our two-week stay there, we would eat eight dozen eggs, five pounds of sugar, twelve loaves of bread, four pounds of butter, five chickens, fifteen pounds of ground hamburger meat, twenty-five steaks, and five pounds of chocolate. I’m sure there was more, but that’s all I remember. Her house smelled like a sweet and savory factory that belted out burgers and barbeque too. The grill outside had neighbors and friends stopping by for drinks and grub. How she did it, I will never know. 

Always special was when her occasional client stopped in to get a one-of-a-kind creation that she has sewn for them, a sundress, evening gown, altered shirt, smoking jacket, or baby dress. They rang the doorbell, and we were to be quiet, Uncle Jim warned us, shush; Aunt Ruby had a customer. We peeked out the den door and saw what I always thought were regular folk, women and men in their every days, hoping that Aunt Ruby could spruce them up and make a butterfly out of a cocoon.

“Fred is going to LA to give a talk next week and I wanted his suit jacket to fit just right,” a pea sized woman with the reddest bouffant hairstyle droned on, “I want to drop off these dresses to be altered too if that’s OK?” Aunt Ruby demurred and reassured, her laughter reaching my ears like salve on a burn. Their visit concluded with teacakes and coffee, which I could not see or hear, much to my chagrin.  

One morning, I rolled over in my bed in the big den where we all slept; my eyes adjusted and focused, realizing that we were at Aunt Ruby’s house. We were making the chuck roast; it was my favorite. I laid back and savored just being there. I counted all of the things we had done that week; swimming at the Olympic-size city swimming pool, watching a movie at a drive-in movie theater, camping out in huge tents in the house and finally, just enjoying being kids, laughing, visiting, playing games and eating the best food on the planet. 

As my eyes adjusted, I noticed backlit and illuminated all along one wall were Aunt Ruby’s paintings, each scene captured forever in a moment: 

“Heading Out,” dawn, a fishing boat-trawler, the day’s catch, clouds peaking, salty air welcoming with open arms.

“Beach Party,” sun worshipers, boys splashing at tide’s edge, dogs running, barking, picnickers eating after a hard swim. 

It took years for me to really get why we all loved going to Aunt Ruby’s. Being there reminded me of a family I saw in a fancy magazine all those years ago, before I was adopted. Back then, I was in dire straits, but now we were like the family in that fancy picture. All five of us kids were thriving and believed in ourselves, due in large part to my parents and Aunt Ruby. We watched many a sunset with you, I can almost see them, even today.

Thanks to my parents and Aunt Ruby who taught us it was the simple things that mattered most, being kind, loving each other, standing up for ourselves. Too soon we drifted out of childhood, but embedded deep was the sense of knowing that the special everydayness of life was counting on each other, doing what was right, and living everyday like it really mattered. Like we really mattered. This is for you Aunt Ruby.

Do you like pot roast or have a similar recipe? Let me know in the comments below!

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Chuck Roast on Stovetop with Mashed Potatoes & Brown Gravy

Recipe By: Karen Hand Allen (www.karenhandallen.com) 

Chuck roast cooked on the stovetop is succulent, tender, and juicy. It’s versatile and easy to prepare and can be served for that special someone or for family Sunday dinner. The chuck roast is relatively inexpensive, and when cooked on the stovetop, it does not heat up the kitchen in hot summer months. It’s one of those little hidden secrets that your family will adore for many years to come.

Servings: 6

Prep Time: Roast 20 mins | Potatoes 15 mins | Brown Gravy 15 mins | Cook Time: Roast 2.5 hrs | Potatoes 30 mins | Brown Gravy 15 mins | Rest Time: Roast 20 mins | Total Time: 3 hrs 55 mins

Ingredients:  Roast: 3–4-pound chuck roast 2-3 cloves minced garlic  2 Tablespoons creole or cajun seasoning (like Tony Chachere’s)  1 Tablespoon seasoned salt (like Lawry’s) 3 tablespoons vegetable oil  3-5 whole carrots 1 large onion  Salt to taste (if needed) About 5 Cups water Mashed Potatoes: 6 large red potatoes 1 Tsp. Sea salt 3 Cups water 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream or half-and-half ½ stick butter ½ Teaspoon salt if desired Gravy: Drippings from roast and juices from cooking 2 TBL cornstarch 1/4 cup water

Instructions: Roast: 1. Pat roast dry 2. Season roast with cajun seasoning and seasoned salt on both sides 3. In a Dutch oven on the stovetop add vegetable oil to the bottom of the pan. 4. Heat on medium low, adding roast, searing three minutes each side. 5. Cut carrots and onions into large chunks.  6. Add carrots, onions, and garlic. 7. Add 5 cups water, bringing to a boil. 8. Turn temperature to low. 9. Place tight fitting lid over roast. 10. Cook on top of stove, covered for 2 1/2 hours or until tender Mashed Potatoes: 1. In a large saucepan wash and slice potatoes thin, leave skins on. 2. Cover potatoes with water, adding sea salt. 3. Put top on potatoes, cooking on low heat 25 to 30 minutes. 4. When potatoes are tender, drain, add heavy whipping cream, butter, and salt mashing thoroughly. Gravy: 1. Remove cooked roast, carrots, and onions to a plate. Cover with foil. 2. Mix cornstarch with water, stirring till smooth. 3. Over medium heat, In Dutch skillet where roast was removed, add cornstarch slurry only till thick, stirring continuously, about 2 minutes. 4. Add roast, carrots, and onions back to Dutch oven, keep warm till serving.

Notes: 

-I add Lowery’s Seasoned Salt and regular salt to my for extra flavor for extra flavor

-Serve roast with buttered bread and garden salad.