Pot Roast with Dumplings

Ingredients

• 1 (3 1/2- to 4-pound) boneless chuck roast
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 (1-ounce) envelope dry onion soup mix
• 2 (10 1/2-ounce) cans beef consomme, undiluted
• 4 fresh thyme sprigs
• 3 carrots, quartered
• 3 parsnips, quartered
• 1 medium rutabaga, peeled and cut into 1-inch wedges
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine, cut up
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 cup milk
• Garnish: fresh thyme sprigs

Preparation

1. Brown roast on all sides in hot vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat; add soup mix, consommé, and thyme sprigs.
2. Bake, covered, at 325° for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Toss together vegetables, olive oil, and pepper. Add mixture to Dutch oven, and bake 2 hours or until vegetables are tender. Remove roast and vegetables, reserving drippings. Keep warm.
3. Stir together flour and next 3 ingredients in a large bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender until crumbly.
4. Combine egg and milk, whisking until fluffy. Add three-fourths of egg mixture to dry ingredients, stirring until dry ingredients are moistened; add remaining egg mixture, if necessary, to form a soft dough.
5. Pour reserved drippings through a wire-mesh strainer into a saucepan, discarding solids. Skim off fat. Bring drippings to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat to low.
6. Drop dough by heaping tablespoonfuls into drippings; cover and simmer 10 minutes or until done. Remove and serve with roast and vegetables. Garnish, if desired.