The recipe to take with you if you knew you’d be stuck on a desert island for the rest of your life!

Cider Pot Roast
Karyl Bannister, Cook & Tell: No-Fuss Recipes & Gourmet Surprises

1½ cups apple cider
1 Tablespoon light brown sugar
2 teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
2 whole cloves
1 3-4 pound beef chuck roast
All-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
Hot mashed potatoes

Combine the cider, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves in a medium bowl. Put the beef in a 1-gallon zipper-lock bag and pour in the marinade. Let marinate in the fridge for 24 hours, jiggling the bag whenever you think of it.

Remove the beef from the marinade; reserve the marinade. Dredge the beef in the flour on a large plate. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or flameproof roasting pan over high heat and brown the beef on all sides, about 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, add the reserved marinade, cover, and simmer for 3 hours, or until very tender. Let the roast rest for 10 minutes, then slice and serve with hot mashed potatoes.

Note: Thicken the gravy if you’d like, with 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour and ½ cup tepid water shaken together in a covered jar and whisked into the simmering juices.

Serves 6-8.

Karyl Bannister writes and illustrates the newsletter Cook & Tell, published ten times a year.