Pot Roast with Orange and Figs

This was the main dish for Passover this year. I would rate it a 8 out of 10. However, since I had a ton leftover, James and I ate it for two nights after and on those nights it was a 10 out of 10! The extra time it had to marinate and soak up the flavors really helped the savory goodness of this dish. I’ve adapted the recipe below to reflect making it ahead as opposed to the same day.

Pot roast on it's way to the oven. Photo by Jennifer.

Ingredients
Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit
NOTE: The proportions below are doubled from the original recipe to serve 9 and have lots of leftovers

2-3 1/2 pound boneless beef chuck roasts
8 teaspoons sugar
6 T. olive oil
2 pound onions, thinly sliced
12 T. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. ground allspice
4 cups low-salt chicken broth
2 cup orange juice
1 cup tomato sauce
4 cups figs, thinly sliced
1 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

Directions
Preheat oven to 350.
1. Sprinkle roasts on each side with salt, pepper, and 2 teaspoon sugar. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy wide ovenproof pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat.
2. Add roasts. Cook until brown, about 8 minutes per side; transfer to plate.
3. Add 2 tablespoon oil and onions to pot. Sauté until dark brown, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Mix in vinegar and allspice; boil until reduced to glaze. Add broth, orange juice, and tomato sauce; bring to boil.
4. At this point, if your dutch oven isn’t big enough, transfer everything into roasting pan.
5. Return roasts and accumulated juices to pot/roasting pan. Scatter figs around roasts; sprinkle with parsley.
6.Cover pot – if using roasting pan, cover tightly with foil. Place in oven. Braise roasts 1 hour. Turn roasts over, cover, and braise until tender, about 1 hour. Cook another 20 minutes. Then cool uncovered 1 hour.
7. Transfer roasts to board, scraping sauce into pot. Cut crosswise into 1/2 inch thick slices. Place pot roast back in pan, cover and refrigerate over night.
8. Reheat in large dutch oven on low heat for an 25-45 minutes or so before serving.

Voila! Enjoy!