New Mexico Style Pot Roast with Cornbread Griddle Cakes

Sunday's are kind of slow around here so what better to have for dinner than something that's best cooked low and slow like this New Mexico Style Pot Roast. 

It's a breeze to put together because after a quick sear to brown the meat, the rest of the work is done by the oven. Braised in a mixture of red enchilada sauce, beer and beef stock, it's a beautiful thing finished with sweet potatoes and hominy.

Hominy is something I'd never had before we moved to the sunny south and it really is an acquired taste/texture thing. It is simply dried corn that's been soaked in a mild lye solution which kills the kernal and makes the corn puff up. You can find it in the canned vegetable section of your local grocery store. Just remember to drain and rinse it well before adding it to the pot. It has a musty flavor with a very chewy texture so if you're not inclined to give it a try, just leave it out or substitute regular corn.

I figured the roast would be lovely with cornbread but wanted to change it up a bit so we cooked these griddlecakes instead. Adapted from a recent post by Ezra Poundcake, they looked too darn good to pass up. They're really just like a hunk a cornbread only much lighter and the bonus is the crispy crust on the outside - both sides!

Just be careful not to overcook them or you'll have hockey pucks on your plate instead of light moist little yummies. By the way, the original recipe calls for self rising cornmeal but darned if I could find the stuff, so I made my own - how's that grab ya?

New Mexico Style Pot Roast (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted epicurious.com)

1 – 3 pound boneless chuck roast, tied

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt & coarse ground black pepper

All-purpose flour

1 large onion, peeled and cut into wedges

2 cloves garlic

1 – 20 ounce can red enchilada sauce

1 -12 ounce light beer

1 cup low sodium beef stock

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

1 – 28 ounce can hominy, drained and rinsed

Garnishes – pickled jalapeno peppers, sour cream, extra hot sauce

Preheat oven to 350. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add oil and heat until shimmering. Meanwhile season roast with salt and pepper and dredge in flour on both sides, shaking off excess. Brown meat very well on both sides in hot pan. When browned remove pot from heat and add onions, garlic, enchilada sauce, beer and beef stock. Stir well to combine ingredients. Cover pot and bake in preheated oven for 2-1/2 hours or until meat is tender.

Remove pot from the oven and add sweet potato and drained and rinsed hominy. Cover pot and return to the oven. Cook for half an hour, remove lid and cook additional 15 minutes or until liquid is reduced to thicken. Serve garnished with pickled jalapeno peppers, sour cream and pass the extra hot sauce. Serves 6.

Cornbread Griddle Cakes (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from Southern Living via Ezra Poundcake)

3/4 cup yellow cornmeal

1 cup flour less 1 tablespoon

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 tablespoon sugar

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

3 tablespoons vegetable oil or melted butter

1 large egg, lightly beaten

3/4 cup milk

Butter

Whisk together cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and cayenne in a large bowl to combine well. In a small bowl beat together vegetable oil, egg and milk. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients until just combined. (It will be lumpy).

Heat a griddle over medium heat and brush lightly with butter. Spoon a quarter cup of batter onto griddle and cook until tops are bubbled and edges look dry – (just like you’re cooking pancakes). Flip over and cook other side. Serve warm.

A year ago -  Parmesan Cream Potatoes  Two year's ago - Oven Fried Chicken

Comments

[Lea]

You find the most interesting ways to make pot roast! (and I mean that in a really good way)
Love the idea of the griddle cakes - I love the crunch factor, also! And bravo on making your own self-rising!

[June]

Thanks Lea. The Big Guy loves beef so I try and accommodate him as much as possible. For me, if I have to eat beef, I'd rather have a hamburger than anything else. Ha.

[Big guy]

And I thank you for the accommodation, though I have to say I don't really find it easy to limit my in-take even if you don't fix beef.
:-)

LU

[June]

Hope you're still saying that after dinner tonight! LOL LU2