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Sunday Night Dinner: Menu and Guide.
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A slow-braised pot roast with sweet apple cider, white wine, apple butter, onions, shallots, carrots, and fresh thyme. The sweet potatoes braise right alongside the roast, soaking up all that savory-sweet cider gravy. Then toss them with butter, Parmesan, garlic, and fresh sage and roast until golden and crispy.
Serve everything together with the caramelized onions and plenty of that cider gravy spooned over the roast. Such a cozy fall dinner that makes Sunday nights feel special, whether you’re serving family or friends.
Cider Braised Pot Roast with Parmesan Sweet Potatoes
Servings: 6
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 (4 pound) beef chuck roast
- seasalt and black pepper
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose or gluten flour
- 3 yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 4 shallots, halved
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 cups apple cider
- 2 cups dry white wine or broth
- 2 tablespoons apple butter
- 2 cups baby carrots or chopped carrots
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
Roasted Parmesan Sweet Potatoes
- 1 1/2 pounds baby sweet potatoes
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
- 1/2 cup fresh sage leaves
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 325° F. Season the roast with salt and pepper, then coat with flour.2. Arrange the onions and shallots in a large Dutch oven and dot with butter. Set the roast on top. Spread with apple butter. Pour the cider and wine around the roast. Add the carrots and thyme, then arrange the sweet potatoes around and over the roast. 3. Cover and roast for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until the beef is fork tender. Remove the sweet potatoes to a baking sheet and increase the oven temperature to 425° F.4. Toss the potatoes with the butter, garlic powder, Parmesan, and sage. Roast for 20 minutes, until crisp.5. At the same time, return the roast to the oven, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes, until caramelized on top. Add a splash of broth, cider, wine, or water if the pan juices are getting low.6. Spoon the onions and gravy over the roast. Finish with fresh thyme and flaky sea salt. Serve with the crispy sweet potatoes and sage, spooning the browned butter from the baking sheet over the potatoes.
The Crockpot
- 1. Season the roast with salt and pepper, then coat with flour. Add the onions and shallots to the Crockpot and dot with butter. Set the roast on top and spread with apple butter. Pour the cider and wine around the roast. Add the carrots, thyme, and sweet potatoes. 2. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or HIGH for 3-4 hours, until the beef is fork tender.3. Remove the sweet potatoes to a baking sheet. Toss with the butter, garlic powder, Parmesan, and sage. Roast at 425° F for 20 minutes, until golden and crisp.4. Spoon the onions and gravy over the roast. Finish with fresh thyme and sea salt. Serve with the crispy sweet potatoes and sage alongside.
Photography by Johnny Miller
This post was originally published on September 14, 2026
Can’t wait to make this recipe! When you are cooking the chuck roast, do you try to get the meat to a certain temperature to have it be fork tender?
Thank you, happy fall!
Thank you so much, Kim! For chuck roast, I usually start checking for tenderness once the internal temperature is around 195–205°F. More than anything, though, I go by feel. The meat should be very tender and easily pull apart with a fork. If there’s still resistance, give it a little more time to cook. Hope this helps!