Poor Man’s Roast Beef Dinner

Notes: Very low fat. Mark Steppel created this recipe (with major assistance from the 2nd Ave. Deli Cookbook’s Brisket recipe, especially on the process)

Time: 3-4 hours cooking time. 30 minutes prep time in advance of cooking

Spice Mix:

3 TBSP Dried Onion Flakes

3 TBSP Garlic Powder

3 TBSP Paprika

¾ tsp Pepper

½ tsp Celery Seed

1 tsp Salt

Other Ingredients:

4 – 5 lb. Bottom Round roast or other low-fat beef roast

Olive Oil

2 Medium/Large onions, sliced into rounds

1 lb. Inoki mushrooms (or other type of yummy mushroom)

1 ½ lbs. sliced mushrooms

3-4 stalks celery, diced

1-2 bulbs garlic, chopped roughly

Cilantro or Parsley

2 lbs. Carrots, sliced in shape of your choosing

4 large Turnips, sliced in shape of your choosing

4 – 5 large potatoes, diced roughly

½ cup Water

½ cup white wine (I used leftover champagne, but any reasonable wine)

Directions:

1. Make Spice Mix with Spice Mix ingredients and mix well. Fully dredge the roast in the spice mix. Allow it to “marinate” for up to 2 days, but at least one hour

2. Sear the roast in a large sautee pan on all sides in a small amount of olive oil

3. Move the seared roast to a stock pot. Add the water and the wine. Add in the cilantro or parsley to the liquid.

4. Begin simmering, covered

5. While the meat simmers, sous-chef the onions, mushrooms, celery and garlic, if you haven’t already. Sautee them in olive oil/drippings from the meat (if any) until all are either glassy and/or have shrunken in size

6. Add the sauteed mix to the stock pot and re-cover it. Make sure it returns to a gentle simmer

7. Sous-chef the carrots, turnips and potatoes, if not already prepped

8. 1+ hours after starting step 4, add the veggies from step 7 to the top of the pot. Don’t worry if there isn’t a ton of liquid, as long as there is enough at the bottom (recipe steams everything)

9. After another 1+ hours, rotate the ingredient so that veggies are on the bottom and the meat is on the top. Taste broth for salt/seasoning levels and adjust as necessary

10. Remove meat after 1+ hours and slice. Remove the veggies and serve everything.