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Sunday dinners (or lunches) bring back good memories for me.

When I was young, we’d gather at my grandparents’ house after church for Sunday lunch, prepared by my Pa Floyd.

Some Sunday evenings, we’d head to my other grandparents’ for supper.

Those were good times.

I wish our kids lived close enough that we could have this same tradition. But since they don’t, that doesn’t stop me from preparing a big meal some Sundays.

Why just last week I did just that after finding today’s recipe in some I’d clipped years ago.

The recipe was torn from the September/October 2016 issue of Taste of Home Magazine.

 

Sunday Pot Roast

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

• 1/2 teaspoon onion salt

• 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds

• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

• 1 boneless pork loin roast (3 1/2 – 4 pounds), trimmed

• 6 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

• 3 large potatoes, peeled and quartered

• 3 small onions, quartered

• 1-1/2 cups beef broth

• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

• 1/3 cup cold water

• 1/4 teaspoon browning sauce, optional

Instructions

Combine the first five ingredients and rub over the roast. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Place carrots, potatoes and onions in a six-quart slow cooker and add broth.

Unwrap the roast and place it in a slow cooker. Cook covered on low until meat and vegetables are tender, about eight to 10 hours.

Transfer the roast and vegetables to a serving platter and tent with foil.

Pour the cooking juices into a small saucepan. Mix flour and water until smooth and stir into pan. Bring to a boil, cook and stir until thickened, about two minutes. If desired, add browning sauce. Serve roast with gravy and vegetables.

 

When I think of pot roast, I think of beef, not pork, so I was anxious to try this recipe.

I’ve been trying to find a slow cooker recipe for pork loin that would have great results with the meat falling apart.

On Saturday afternoon, I gathered the seasoning ingredients and rubbed them all over the pork. The seasonings seemed to barely cover the meat. I wrapped the pork in plastic wrap, placed it in the refrigerator and forgot about it until the next morning.

After getting up, but before getting ready for church, I pulled out my large slow cooker and placed it on the counter. I sprayed the inside with non-stick spray and began peeling the carrots, potatoes and onions.

As I cut them, I tossed them into the slow cooker then opened a can of beef broth. Since it seems like everything we buy has shrunk in size, I measured the beef broth before adding it to the slow cooker, and it was just a little shy of the 1-1/2 cups needed for the recipe. I had some leftover chicken stock in the refrigerator and poured in just enough to make up the difference.

I unwrapped the pork loin, placed it on top of the vegetables, put the lid on and turned on the pot.

When we got home from church, the house smelled so good. I could hardly wait for supper time.

I let this pot roast cook for eight hours instead of 10 because when I’ve cooked pork loin in the slow cooker and let it go for 10 hours, the meat has had a good flavor, but it’s been a little dry and it doesn’t fall apart. I thought maybe less time would solve that issue.

As I was removing the pork from the pot, it was trying to fall apart — a good sign.

I placed the roast on a platter then scooped out the vegetables and covered the platter with foil while I put the gravy together.

I poured the drippings from the slow cooker into a small pan and added the water-flour mixture. I heated the gravy, stirring constantly until it thickened.

We were ready to eat. I’d looked for browning sauce at the grocery, but frankly, I’ve never heard of it and wasn’t sure what I was looking for so I didn’t use it; good thing it is optional.

The table was set and the food was on the table. Brad prayed for our country, our families and thanked God for how he blesses us every day.

I sliced the pork, which was difficult to do because it was indeed falling apart (inside I was saying, “Yeah!”), and we filled our plates.

I don’t care for gravy but Brad loves it so the small panful was all his.

This Sunday Pot Roast was a hit with the two of us. It was so tender you could cut it with a fork and the flavor was oh, so good. The vegetables hit the spot, and Brad said the gravy was good, too.

You can bet I’ll be adding this recipe to my self-made cookbook and will be making this dish again as soon as we can gather our family together. I can hardly wait.

Sarah Condley is an amateur baker and chef who is compiling a cookbook of her favorite recipes.