Wasabi-Rosemary Crusted Pot Roast with Mashed Potatoes and Glazed Carrots

Note: to make this recipe, you'll need two vital ingredients from Penzey's spices--my favorite spice company.  They are really inexpensive but their spices are of high quality.  They have an online catalog and their shipping is reasonable.  The closest retail store to us is in Rockville, MD (about an hour away) but it is totally worth it to visit the store as you get to smell samples of each spice mixture and they usually have recipe cards for different meals.  I made this recipe up on my own but theirs are just as good!  www.penzeys.com

Wasabi-Rosemary Crusted Pot Roast

1 pot roast 5-7 lbs.
10 cloves of garlic
Penzey's dried wasabi powder (about 1 TBSP, divided)
Penzey's cracked rosemary (about 1 TBSP, divided)
salt, to taste
coarsely ground pepper, to taste
1/4 C. soy sauce
1 package McCormick's brown gravy
1 C. water

Use either a large stock pot or a dutch oven.  Place the whole garlic cloves on the bottom of the pan and drizzle them with some olive oil.  Lay the roast on top of the garlic cloves.  Sprinkle the roast with the wasabi powder, cracked rosemary, and salt and pepper.  Pour the soy sauce around the sides of the roast.  Mix the gravy mix with the cup of water and pour around the sides of the roast.  Put a lid on the pan and bring the roast to a boil, then simmer it for about 45 min. to an hour.  Turn roast over and sprinkle the rest of the wasabi powder, rosemary, salt and pepper.  Cook until roast is tender.  Let the roast rest on a cutting board for 5 minutes before carving.  Strain the sauce and serve as a gravy. 

Mashed Potatoes

5 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and washed, and cut into 1" cubes
1 stick butter
1/4-1/2 C. milk, to taste
1-2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. coarsely ground pepper

I use a pressure cooker to cook my potatoes but not everyone has a pressure cooker.  It definitely cuts down on your cooking time!  If using a conventional pan, cover the potatoes with water and bring to a boil.  Boil the potatoes for about 15-20 min. or until potatoes are fork tender.  When potatoes are done cooking, pour them into a strainer and let them sit for 5 min. to dry out.  Using the same pan you cooked the potatoes in, melt the stick of butter with the milk, salt and pepper.  When all ingredients are "liquidy," add potatoes back to the pan and mash them.  I use an electric hand mixer.  Mash until smooth and check seasonings to see if you need to add more salt.  That's it!


Glazed Carrots

10-12 medium-sized carrots, scraped and sliced into 1/4" pieces
1/2 C. sugar
salt & pepper to taste
1/4 stick of butter

Put carrots in a pot and cover them with the sugar.  Bring to a boil, then simmer for 25-30 minutes or until they are fork tender.  Drain, then add butter and salt and pepper to taste.