Recipes from Chef Charlie Palmer

Garlic-Studded Pot Roast and Fingerling Potatoes
Items needed:
1             beef chuck roast, about 4 lb
10           garlic cloves, peeled
3   T        vegetable oil
2   T        unsalted butter
1             onion, diced
½  C        mushrooms, washed and halved
2   T        all-purpose flour
1             bottle dry red wine
½            bunch fresh thyme
1             bay leaf
1   lb       fingerling potatoes, scrubbed clean
              Sea salt

Using a paring knife, make 1½ - inch slits in the beef and press a garlic glove into each one. If the garlic clove doesn’t fit, halve them, but make sure they’re inserted good and deep. The roast will shrink as it cooks, and if the garlic is too close to the surface, they’ll be squeezed out and burn.

Season the meat liberally on all sides with salt and black pepper. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat and sear the roast all over; turn the heat down after a few minutes so that the meat develops a nice thick crust. Remove the roast from the pan.

Add the butter to the pan and cook until lightly browned. Add the onions, and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are lightly caramelized, about 10 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook for 10 minutes longer. (The mushrooms will release a lot of liquid, which will deglaze and also cool the pan.) Cook until the liquid evaporates and the mushrooms begin to color, then sprinkle in the flour and stir to incorporate it. Return the pot roast to the pan, pour the wine over it, and add the thyme and bay leaf. Cover the pan and simmer the roast over low heat until fork-tender, about 4 hours (or cook it in a 325*F oven for the same amount of time). 

About 20 minutes before the pot roast is done, add the potatoes, pushing them down into the pan juices.

Let the roast stand for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Shallot and Sage Beans
Items needed:
1   lb     snap beans – green, yellow, or a mixture
3   T      unsalted butter
2          shallots, peeled and minced
3   T      chopped fresh sage
½  c      chicken stock

Have ready a large bowl of ice water. Blanch the beans in a big pot of rapidly boiling salted water for 2-3 minutes – just until crisp and tender. Drain them in a colander, then immediately drop the beans into the ice water to “shock” them (stop the cooking and the color). When the beans are chilled, drain and set aside.

Just before serving, melt the butter in a large sauté pan, add the shallots, and cook for a moment. Add the sage, swirling the pan so the butter fully absorbs the flavor. Toss in the beans and season with salt and pepper. Add the chicken stock and cook just until the beans are heated through.

Photo:provided by Charlie Palmer