Mom's Slow Cooker Pot Roast with Potatoes

Directions

1. 1
   Pat the roast dry with paper towels. Using your hands, salt generously with 1-2 tablespoons of salt. Press the salt into the roast.
2. 2
   Optional: Sear the roast. Preheat a skillet, cast iron skillet, or dutch oven over medium-high heat.
3. 3
   Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan, then add the salted roast to the pan. Do not touch or move it for 3-5 minutes to allow a brown crust to form. Flip it once and sear the other side for 3-5 minutes until a brown crust appears. Turn off heat and reserve roast while you prepare the veggies.
4. 4
   Add the chopped potatoes, veggies, and whole garlic cloves to your slow-cooker. It’s totally up to you if you want to sauté them first; I’ve found that they’re just as tasty when added in raw in the beginning. (Keep the veggies large so they don’t completely fall apart in the long cooking process.)
5. 5
   Place the roast on top and nestle it down into the veggies so that it’s mostly on top of the veggies and potatoes.
6. 6
   Generously pepper the roast and add some to the veggies, too. You should use about 2 teaspoons total of freshly ground black pepper.
7. 7
   Scatter the herb sprigs around the veggies (I leave them on the stems), placing two of the rosemary sprigs on top of the roast.
8. 8
   Add 2-3 cups of stock or water into the veggies, until it touches and comes up a little bit on the sides of the roast. You may need more or less depending on the number of veggies and the size of your roast.
9. 9
   Add 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar or dry red wine to the pot with the liquid.
10. 10
    Turn your slow-cooker on low for 8 hours; cook until the roast is fork-tender. You can leave the slow cooker on the warm function for a few hours if needed once the pot roast is fork-tender.
11. 11
    Leftovers keep in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 3 days.