Braised Brisket with Vegetables
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Ingredients:
1 (6-pound) first-cut beef brisket, trimmed so that a thin layer of fat remains
All-purpose flour, for dusting (gluten free all purpose flour works just as well)
Freshly ground black pepper
Kosher salt
3 tablespoons vegetable oil or olive oil
4 medium onions, peeled and thickly sliced
2 to 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 cups homemade or store bought chicken stock
1 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped (optional)
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces
4 yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
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Lightly dust the brisket with flour, and then generously sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large ovenproof enameled cast-iron pot or other heavy pot with a lid just large enough to hold the brisket snugly. Add the brisket to the pot and brown on both sides until crusty brown areas appear on the surface here and there, 5 to 7 minutes per side. Transfer the brisket to a platter, turn up the heat a bit, then add the onions to the pot and stir constantly with a wooden spoon, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Cook until the onions have softened and developed a rich brown color but aren't yet caramelized, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Add the stock, thyme and 1 tsp. salt.
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Turn off the heat and place the brisket and any accumulated juices on top of the onions.
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Spread the tomato paste over the brisket as if you were icing a cake. Then add the carrots to the pot, surrounding the brisket. Cover the pot, transfer to the oven, and cook the brisket for 1 1/2 hours.
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Transfer the brisket to a cutting board and, using a very sharp knife, slice the meat across the grain into approximately 1/8-inch-thick slices. Return the slices to the pot, overlapping them at an angle so that you can see a bit of the top edge of each slice. The end result should resemble the original unsliced brisket leaning slightly backward. Check the seasonings and, if necessary add more stock if the pot is drying out. Add the potatoes to the liquid.
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Cover the pot and return to the oven. Lower the heat to 325°F and cook the brisket until it is fork-tender, about 2 hours. Check once or twice during cooking to make sure that the liquid is not bubbling away. If it is, add more stock. Also, each time you check, spoon some of the liquid on top of the roast so that it drips down between the slices.