Slow Cooker Beef Pot Roast with Gremolata

Ingredients

• Pot roast:
• 1 (2 1/2-pound) boneless cross-rib chuck roast, trimmed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• Cooking spray
• 2 cups chopped onion (about 1 large)
• 1 cup fat-free, less-sodium beef broth
• 3/4 cup dry red wine
• 1/4 cup chopped drained oil-packed sun-dried tomato halves
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 4 thyme sprigs
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• Gremolata:
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
• 1 garlic clove, minced

Preparation

1. To prepare pot roast, sprinkle roast evenly with salt and black pepper. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add roast to pan; cook 5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Transfer roast to an electric slow cooker. Recoat pan with cooking spray. Add onion to pan; sauté 8 minutes or until tender. Add broth and next 6 ingredients (through bay leaves) to pan; bring to a simmer. Add broth mixture to slow cooker. Arrange carrots and potatoes around roast in slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH 2 hours. Reduce heat to low; cook 4 hours. Remove bay leaves and thyme sprigs from slow cooker; discard. Remove roast from slow cooker; shred with 2 forks.
2. To prepare gremolata, combine parsley and remaining ingredients in a small bowl, stirring well. Serve with roast and vegetable mixture.
3. Wine note: Slow-cooked pot roast has a tender meatiness that's simple but luscious, especially when the roast's flavors are entwined with the earthiness of long-simmered root vegetables. Wines that work well with a dish like this are also soft, earthy, and (usually) red. One of my favorites is a supple zinfandel such as Bogle's Old Vine Zinfandel from California ($11). --Karen MacNeil