Pot Roast and Smashed Potatoes

I haven't cooked a meal in almost two weeks! I was away a week and we've had a combination of my husband cooking and restaurants the last four nights. He makes a great grilled cheese and beanie weenies! As much as I enjoy others' cooking, I missed doing it myself. Tonight, I made a pot roast, peas and smashed potatoes. A deli cole slaw and sourdough bread rounded out the meal.  The roast was a sirloin round tip roast. This type of roast has just enough fat for flavor. Most pot roast recipes call for carrots, but this house doesn't have carrot fans so I leave them out.

Pot Roast:
(12 servings, 227 cal, 10 g fat)

3 lb roast
2 large onions cut in half
3-4 cups beef broth
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp rosemary
salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven. Brown the onions in the hot oil, this will only take about 1 minute per side. Remove the onion to a plate. Salt and pepper the roast and then place it in the hot oil. Sear the roast on all sides and then remove to a plate. Add a cup of the broth to the pan and scrape the bottom to loosen drippings. Add the roast and onion back to the pan and then the remaining broth to cover about half of the roast. Add the seasoning, cover and place in a 275* oven. Roast an hour per pound for medium (~170* internal temp). Let the roast rest for 10 minutes on the cutting board before slicing. This will seal in the juices.

Smashed Potatoes:
(12 servings, 229 cal, 14 g fat)

2 lb redskin potatoes
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup light sour cream
3/4 cup shredded cheese
4 green onions
1-2 tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

After washing the potatoes, place them on a large piece of foil. Pierce the potatoes with a fork, drizzle with oil and season to taste. Close up the foil to form a packet. Bake the potatoes for 1 hour in a 400* oven. After baking, place potatoes, butter and sour cream in a large bowl and mash enough to mix the ingredients, but there should still be large pieces of potatoes. Incorporate 1/2 cup of the cheese plus half of the diced green onions. Place the mixture in a casserole dish and top with remaining cheese. Bake at 350* for 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Sprinkle the remaining diced onion on the casserole as a garnish.