Rosh ha-Shanah Pot Roast - brisket

Method

• Rub beef with peanut oil, salt and pepper.
• Add about 2 tablespoons oil to a pot large enough to hold the beef, stock and vegetables.
• Brown beef on all sides.
• Add stock to cover; bring to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer.
• Eye round should simmer 2 to 2 1/2 hours; brisket must cook longer.
• While beef is cooking, prepare vegetables.
• Scrub potatoes; trim and scrub carrots; cut celery and trim and scrub turnips.
• Cut green part from leeks.
• Trim the root, leaving just a little so leek will hold together.
• Rinse thoroughly.
• Turn on broiler; rinse and stem tomatoes and arrange on broiler pan.
• Prepare beurre manie by blending butter or margarine with flour to a paste.
• Twenty minutes before beef is ready, add potatoes, carrots, celery, turnips and leeks.
• Raise heat to return liquid to simmer; cover and finish cooking.
• Remove beef and set aside.
• Remove 8 cups of stock and bring to boil in separate pot.
• Keep vegetables warm in remaining stock.
• Gradually beat beurre manie into boiling stock until it has thickened to gravy consistency.
• Broil tomatoes 3 to 5 minutes.
• Do not let them burst.
• Slice beef.
• Spoon thin layer of gravy on a platter and top with sliced beef.
• Arrange vegetables around the meat, using tomatoes to provide spots of color.
• Place spoonfuls of onion confit down center of meat and pass additional gravy.