Beef Pot Roast with Maple Sweet Potatoes and Cider Gravy – Healthy Meals to Fuel the Family: Week Three

It’s Week Three in the Texas Beef Council’s Healthy Meals to Fuel Your Family campaign! This week, we’re focusing on Healthy Family Favorites.

These meals are the perfect to fill up your family. And when you make healthy choices, like using lean meat and nutrient-rich veggies, your family gets the benefits!

Here are some tips to help you make healthy choices:

• Shop the perimeter of the store for the freshest, nutrient-rich foods including brightly colored fruits such as blueberries, strawberries and oranges and vibrant green, red, yellow and orange vegetables like tomatoes, spinach and orange bell peppers.  The more colorful a fresh food is the higher in nutrient and cancer-fighting anti-oxidants.
• Choose whole grain, fortified and fiber-rich bread and whole-grain pasta products instead of white breads and pastas.
• Select lean ground beef that is at least 90% lean for hamburgers, chili or other dishes that use ground beef.
• Always eat breakfast and include a lean protein when you can.
• Make an easy breakfast or snack from low-fat yogurt and fresh fruit.
• When snacking, choose brightly colored red, green, yellow and orange fruits and vegetables, low-fat dairy or lean beef jerky.
• Make a healthy sandwich using whole-grain breads and lean protein such as roast beef and top with dark green lettuce and bright red tomatoes.
• Turn a salad into an entrée by including fruits, vegetables and a lean protein such as grilled steak (just like in last week’s recipe!)

And now, for this week’s yummy recipe! This was my favorite dish we sampled at the Appetite for Inspiration cooking event last year.

Be warned: this recipe is SWEET. If you are not a fan of sweet foods for meals, steer clear! This time around, I loved the pot roast and gravy. But I wasn’t really a fan of the mashed sweet potatoes… not sure what the difference was. It’s still worth a spot in your meal rotation, though!

Plus, I LOVE that this is a one-pot meal. Fewer dishes to clean afterwards is a MAJOR PLUS in my book!

Beef Pot Roast with Maple Sweet Potatoes and Cider Gravy
Source: Texas Beef Council

Ingredients:
1 boneless chuck shoulder pot roast (3 to 3-1/2 lbs)
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 c chopped onion
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1 c ready-to-serve beef broth
3/4 c apple cider
3 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled, cut crosswise into 1 to1-1/2-inch pieces
4 cloves garlic, peeled
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp minced fresh ginger
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 Tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 Tbsp brandy or water

Directions:

Heat oil in stockpot over medium heat until hot. Place beef pot roast in stockpot; brown evenly on all sides. Remove roast; pour off drippings and season with 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper.

Add onion and thyme to stockpot; cook and stir 3-5 minutes or until onion is tender. Add broth and cider; increase heat to medium-high. Cook and stir 1 to 2 minutes or until browned bits attached to stockpot are dissolved. Return pot roast to stockpot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover tightly and simmer 2-1/2 hours.

Add sweet potatoes and garlic to stockpot; continue simmering, covered 30 minutes or until sweet potatoes and pot roast are fork-tender.

Remove pot roast; keep warm. Remove sweet potatoes and garlic with slotted spoon to large bowl, leaving cooking liquid in stockpot.

Add maple syrup, ginger, 3/4 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper to sweet potatoes. Beat until sweet potatoes and garlic are mashed and smooth; keep warm.

Skim fat from cooking liquid; stir in cornstarch mixture. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly; cook and stir 1 minute or until thickened.

Carve pot roast into slices; serve with mashed sweet potatoes and gravy.

Enjoy!

Be sure to follow the other nine Texas Beef Bloggers to see the other fun recipes they’re sharing! You can also follow our Fuel for the Family board on Pinterest!

Disclosure: I am participating in a four week campaign with the Texas Beef Council and am being compensated. All opinions and photos are my own. Recipes are courtesy the Texas Beef Council.