I grew up in an old parsonage built in 1910. It had plaster walls and an oversized brick fireplace. But the feature I loved the most was the warped glass panes on every inch of this 3000 square foot home. I loved them because they exaggerated every drop of rain. A simple shower turned into a storm. Every rainy day, and there are a lot of rainy days in Oregon, was an excuse to drink hot rose tea and wrap up with an old past-down quilt. I love storms, even to this day.
My husband and I just came in from a busy Sunday morning. And it’s been raining. I’ve changed into pajamas that consist of his long sleeved shirt, my old tethered softball sweats and an ugly pair of chunky socks. The fire is on and the house is unusually clean for just having hosted a party the night before. I’ve finally caved in and I’m sipping on an eggnog latte. The scene is perfect, including some raindrops on my living room windows. Storms are always best when viewed from inside.
This week is going to be better than the last. I’ve had one of those weeks that I just had to keep reminding myself that my life is good and I am blessed. Life is like that sometimes, when bad days sew themselves into a tapestry and you diligently try to cut the thread. But at some point I just gave in and let myself acknowledge the truth; that last week was cruddy. I was in the rainstorm, not viewing it from the comfort of my home, but trudging along through puddles desperately trying to get home.
We all have bad days and weeks and we all have them because of uniquely differently “whys.” I’m just thankful that weeks like this eventually roll over and better weeks lie ahead. The Oregon rain produces an Oregon summer. Rest creates energy. Friction will bring forth peace, ideally.
As I finish writing this the blue sky has made an appearance again. I’m going to turn on some Cole Porter and write a Pulitzer Prize winning grocery list for Daniel to execute and I’ll stay at home curled up in my favorite blanket and take a Sunday nap. We will eat some pizza and watch a mindless movie and glean the last minutes together before the weekend’s end.
I’m sharing with you my lemon thyme pot roast recipe served at my Fancy Fall Feast. Because there is nothing better than the smell of pot-roast on a rainy day other than the taste of pot-roast on a rainy day or any day for that matter.
“Mrs. Dalloway is always giving parties to cover the silence.” – Mrs. Dalloway
PrintLemon Thyme Pot Roast
There is nothing better than the smell of this lemon thyme pot roast on a rainy day or any day for that matter.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 hours
- Total Time: 4 hours 20 minutes
Ingredients
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large sweet onion
4 garlic cloves
3-4 pound beef chuck roast, well marbled, bone-in
2-4 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon pepper
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 bundle thyme
4 sprigs rosemary
8 ounces beef broth
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Drizzle the extra virgin olive oil in a 8-10 quart dutch oven on the stovetop on medium-high heat until you start to see smoke. Place quartered onion in the pot and let caramelize on all sides of the slices. Remove the onions and set aside on a plate with cloves of garlic.
Generously salt the roast on both sides of the meat. I do about 2 tablespoons of salt per side depending on the size of roast I have that day. Sprinkle with pepper. Place the meat on the hot dutch oven and let sear for about 3 minutes on each side. Only remove once there is a deep dark color to the outside of the roast and the pan naturally releases the meat.
While the meat is sealing in its moisture, zest the whole lemon and cut in half and add to the plate of onion and garlic.
Take the seared roast out and put on a cutting board and remove the dutch oven from the heat. Squeeze the lemon juice on the bottom of the oven and stir to get all the dripping off of the bottom. You don’t want to miss out on this flavor! Add the meat back in and the plate of onion, garlic. Run your fingers through about 5 sprigs of thyme and sprinkle them throughout the roast. Place rosemary around the pot and the rest of the thyme scattered about. Pour in beef broth until it just reaches the top of the roast.
Roast for 3 hours for a 3 pound roast or 4 hours for a 4 pound roast. The meat will fall off very easily. If you like a sturdier piece of meat start checking on it after two and a half hours.
Keywords: lemon, pot roast, thyme, dutch oven, fall
I squeezed “the lemon juice on the bottom of the oven” and it made a horrible mess, setting off the smoke alarms, automatically calling the fire department.