Oven-Braised Beef with Tomatoes and Garlic

From inthekitchenwithkath.com

(Adapted from a smitten kitchen recipe, credited to Gourmet)

Serves 6 (or 2 with a fabulous leftover dinner and a couple of fantastic lunches)

Deb used whole tomatoes that she cut up in the can with scissors. I used a 26.46 ounce box of Pomi Finely Chopped Tomatoes.

It is so simple to add the garlic unpeeled. During the braising process the garlic manages to pop out of the peels and dissolve in the sauce. The peels are easy to pick out when it’s done.

1 28-ounce can of tomatoes (If they’re whole chop them up.)

1 (2 ¾ - 3 pound) boneless beef chuck roast, tied with a string

1 head of garlic, separated into cloves, left unpeeled

Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 300°.

2. Put the roast in a pot with a lid.

3. Pour the tomatoes over the roast and put the garlic cloves in. Stir the garlic into the tomatoes. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.

4. Put the lid on and braise in the oven until it is done and very tender, 3 – 4 hours.

5. Remove the roast to a carving board. Pick the garlic peels out of the sauce. Taste the sauce for seasoning. (If you used unsalted tomatoes you might want to add as much as 1 – 1 ¼teaspoons of salt. Start conservatively, say 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon. You can always add a bit more if needed.)

6. Slice the roast and serve topped with the sauce.