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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.
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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
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.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Photography by Johnny Miller
This sounds delicious. How would I incorporate regular sized sweet potatoes vs baby?
Thanks so much, Jen! You could just need to roast your potatoes longer to ensure they are fully cooked. I hope you love this dish!
If I were to swap the pot roast for a whole chicken, do the seasonings all still work together? Of course, I’d have to adjust the timing. But just curious if you have any flavor swaps when using chicken versus beef? Thanks!
Hey Laura,
Sure, I don’t see why that wouldn’t work for you. Let me know if you give this dish a try, I hope you love it!
I feel like the roast should be seared before adding it to the pot with the veggies/aromatics. Did you try it that way and it didn’t turn out right? Maybe this is just a simpler version…
Hi Amanda,
You could absolutely give this roast a sear if you wanted to, I just didn’t feel it was necessary:) Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it!
Peel the potatoes before putting them in with the roast?
Hi Maria,
I do not peel my potatoes for this dish:) Please let me know if I can help in any other way!
I wish there were prep pictures so we could see the size of the sweet potatoes, how the carrots are cut, the spices/herbs… More of the process.
Thanks so much for sharing this feedback, Vicki! I will definitely keep this in mind for next time!
Oh no! My sweet potatoes will not fit in the crock pot. Suggestions?
Hi Susan,
I would just roast your sweet potatoes in the oven and then you can complete step 4 once they are soft.
I hope this helps, please let me know if I can help in any other way!
This looks amazing . I plan to make it this weekend. Also, I am SO EXCITED for your new cookbook. Will all of the recipes be new ones or will some be oldies? I have all your books and they are my favorites
Aww, thank you so much, Marla!! All of the recipes are new recipes:) I hope you love this pot roast, let me know how it turns out for you.
Do you cook the sweet potatoes whole with meat or cut up. I am confused how this works, aren’t the potatoes too soft to cook a second time?
Hi Sarah,
You are going to cook the potatoes whole with the meat and then transfer to a baking sheet in step 3 to continue roasting. Please let me know if I can help in any other way, I hope you love this dish!
Thank you. Looking forward to dinner tonight!
If using a crockpot at low, when do you remove sweet potatoes?
Hi Rebeca,
You will remove the sweet potatoes in step 3. Please let me know if I can help in any other way!
I made this last night, my entire family loved it! Even my toddler cleared her plate. So easy and flavorful.
Hey Kelly,
Awesome!! Love to hear this dish was a hit with your family, thanks so much for choosing to make it!
Do you
chop the carrots – or are they comparable in size to the sweet potatoes – i,e, sliced on diagonal and like 1″ long?
Hi Kathleen,
Yes, I chop the carrots so they are about 2 inches long. I hope you love this dish, please let me know if you have any other questions!
Going to make this but have a question – You’re using flour to coat but not searing in advance as many braises typically include as a step? What’s the reason for the flour?
Hi MJ,
Great question! The flour isn’t really there for searing in this recipe, it helps thicken the braising liquid as everything cooks, giving you a richer, more sauce-like consistency. No need to sear first! Hope you love the recipe and let me know how it turns out!
Made this for dinner tonight. My husband loved it!!! He even asked if we could put it in the rotation!!! Thanks again for another great recipe!!!
Yay!! Thanks so much, Holly! So glad to hear this dish was enjoyed by your family. I appreciate you giving it a try. Have a great Friday!
I’m a little confused because your instructions say to cook the sweet potatoes with the roast, but they’re pictured in two separate pots in all your pics. It looks like your roast pot is pretty full so I don’t see how the sweet potatoes would even fit. Can you clarify?
Hi Emily,
Thanks so much for asking! You are going to roast the sweet potatoes with the pot roast for the first few hours. After that, you will remove the sweet potatoes in step 3 and place them on a baking sheet to finish cooking. I hope this makes more sense! Please let me know if you need anymore help!
Delicious & easy!!
Hey Niki,
Thanks for cooking this recipe and for the feedback, so glad it was a win! Have a great day!
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!