Martha Stewart Cooks Her Pot Roast Recipe | Martha Stewart
This is Martha Stewart's trusted pot roast recipe, designed to serve eight people with generous, hearty portions. The dish features a well-seasoned chuck roast that becomes meltingly tender, surrounded by root vegetables including carrots, potatoes, and turnips. By using a slow cooker, the meat becomes incredibly tender whilst the vegetables absorb all the rich, savoury flavours. Martha shares her best tips for selecting the right cut of meat and mastering the seasoning to ensure a truly impressive dish. This is the perfect recipe for holiday entertaining or any occasion when you want to impress guests with minimal stress
Watch: Martha Stewart Cooks Her Pot Roast Recipe | Martha Stewart
Original recipe video — click to play
Original method: Approximately 3-4 hours traditional roasting
Ingredients
Main
- 1 ½ kg chuck roast, whole or halved if very large
Good quality chuck roast is essential; this cut becomes tender and flavourful when slow-cooked
- 500 g carrots, cut into 5 cm chunks
Add in the final 2 hours of cooking to prevent mushiness
- 750 g potatoes, cut into 4 cm chunks
Use waxy potatoes if possible to prevent them from breaking down
- 400 g turnips, cut into 4 cm chunks
Adds a subtle sweet, earthy flavour to the pot roast
Aromatics & Seasoning
- 2 whole onions, roughly chopped
- 500 ml beef stock
Use good quality beef stock for deeper flavour
- 1 ½ tsp salt
Taste and adjust to preference
- 1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme(optional)
Add fresh herbs in the final 30 minutes or remove tied herbs before serving
- 2 whole bay leaves(optional)
Remove before serving
Optional Finishing
- 25 g butter, softened(optional)
Swirl through the cooking liquid just before serving for richness
Method
- 1
Pat the chuck roast dry with kitchen paper and season generously all over with salt and black pepper.
~5 minsTip: Drying the meat helps it brown better and locks in flavour
- 2
Heat oil in a large, heavy-bottomed frying pan over a medium-high heat. Brown the chuck roast on all sides until a deep golden crust forms, approximately 8-10 minutes total. This step is important for developing flavour.
~10 minsTip: Do not skip browning; it adds crucial depth to the finished dish
- 3
Transfer the browned chuck roast to your slow cooker. Arrange the onions, potatoes, and turnips around the meat.
~5 mins - 4
Pour the beef stock around the meat and vegetables. Add bay leaves and thyme sprigs if using. Season with a pinch more salt and pepper if needed.
~3 minsTip: Do not submerge the meat completely; it should be about half-covered by liquid
- 5
Cover the slow cooker and cook on Low for 7-8 hours or on High for 4-5 hours, until the meat is very tender and easily shreds with a fork.
~8 hrsTip: Low cooking produces the most tender meat with superior flavour development
- 6
If cooking on High, add the carrots after 3 hours. If cooking on Low, add the carrots after 6 hours.
0Tip: This timing prevents the carrots from becoming mushy
- 7
In the final 30 minutes of cooking, taste the cooking liquid and adjust seasoning as needed. Remove bay leaves and thyme sprigs if used.
~5 mins - 8Optional step
For a thicker sauce, remove the lid and cook on High for the final 30 minutes, or mix a small amount of cornflour with cold water and stir into the pot, then cook for a further 10 minutes.
~10 minsTip: This step is optional; serve with cooking liquid as-is for a lighter sauce
- 9
Transfer the roast to a serving platter and arrange the vegetables around it. Strain the cooking liquid through a fine sieve if desired, or serve as-is in a separate gravy boat.
~5 minsTip: Let the roast rest for 5 minutes before carving
Nutrition
Detailed nutritional information is coming soon.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, absolutely. Brown the roast the evening before, then cover and refrigerate it along with the chopped vegetables in a separate container. In the morning, transfer everything to the slow cooker and proceed with the recipe. You may need to add a few extra minutes to the cooking time if the meat is cold when you start
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