Apple Roast Beef with honey glazed carrots & baked spiral potatoes

Ok as some of you may know I have purchased my first electric pressure cooker. I have traditional ones that I have used in the past, you know the top of the stove method (which I will never go back to) I love this cooker.

The one I happen to have does the work of something like 8 appliances. I have only used it for the pressure cooking, but I can slow cook, steam, can foods, stew… it is amazing.. So because of this I have been all about the quick pressure cooked meals. Remember, I am new to this device so it is a learning experience, even so I think this recipe turned out grand and Stephan (My better half) loved it!

You can make this with mashed potatoes, I did Spiral potatoes that I made with my handy dandy vegetable cutter I got on Ebay for like 10 bucks. I think this will be great for using with salads, garnishes, and maybe fancy soups?

The Carrots were super easy and they are a staple in this family, everyone loves them. Again with a roast you could make anything for a side, but with the apple flavor I thought these carrots would be a great accompaniment, and the potatoes were a nice side as well.

As with all new appliances I am just experimenting, and this came out well, but I will add changes that I think I would do should I make this again.

You will need the following to cook the roast

1 ½ to 2 lbs beef roast

1 tablespoon oil for browning

1 medium onion peeled and roughly chopped

2 tablespoons minced garlic

Salt and pepper to taste (your preference)

1 quart apple juice (I used fresh made, you can use any kind)

1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch and 2 oz water (to make our slurry for the gravy)

1 beef bouillon cube

For the carrots;

1 bag baby carrots 2 teaspoons honey 1 pat of butter

7-8 small red potatoes

Salt and pepper to taste

For the potatoes, I just used red potatoes; spiral cut them drizzled oil and then seasoned them; cooked at 425 in the oven until starting to crisp around edges. (This was a great idea, the edges tasted like potatoes chips while the centers were almost a creamy texture when eaten.)

Ok let’s get started, heat the oil in the pressure cooker until it starts to smoke. Season the roast, and gently brown it on all sides. You want a nice crispy dark skin on the roast. This will lock in the flavor for you as it is cooked.

Once it is browned on all sides, throw in the onions and garlic.

Cover the entire roast with the apple juice.

Put the pressure cooker top on and set the pressure to 70, and the time to 15 minutes. (I cooked it for 25 minutes and it was a little over cooked. If doing it again I would cook it for just 15 minutes to get that nice warm pink center)

Once cooked let it sit for 10 minutes before carving so the juices have time to re distribute through the meat. If you cut the meat too soon you will allow all the juices to run out and you will have a dry piece of meat. Also you want the meat to come out before it is done, the heat of the meat will continue to cook even after you set it aside. Here is where I went wrong; I cooked it to the right temp, and then let it sit, the meat continued to cook and I was left with a tiny small patch of pink rather than the lovely pink center I had desired.

For your carrots, boil them until they are soft but firm enough not to break when a fork pierces them. Drain and melt the butter in a pan, throw the carrots in and toss with the butter. Drizzle the honey over the carrots and continue to cook on a medium high heat. They will start to caramelize and get a bit crispy. YOU want this! They have a great little crunch then the soft inside. Just a touch of sweetness; I added pepper to them as well.

For the gravy, take the juice from the roast, and over medium high heat bring to a gentle boil. Add the beef bouillon cube and the slurry whisk until it is starting to thicken. Taste adding salt and pepper as desired. I think this taste will vary depending on the apple juice you use. Don’t be afraid to experiment and try new things.

Serve with warm bread and a nice red wine. Great dinner for a cold evening at home with your loved ones!