Reghed Venison Pot Roast

Ingredients

• 3 pounds beef chuck roast, trimmed of excess fat
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons neutral-tasting oil, such as vegetable, canola, safflower, or grapeseed
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1.5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• ¾ cup dry white wine
• 1.5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• ¾ cup lightly packed dried apricots; ¼ cup finely chopped, {=amount3/v} cup halved
• 1 whole head garlic, outermost papery skins removed, top one-quarter of the head cut off to expose the cloves
• 3 large sprigs fresh thyme
• 12 ounces carrots, peeled and cut into ¾-inch pieces
• 12 ounces Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed or peeled, halved lengthwise, and halves cut into ¾-inch pieces
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

1. Dry the beef with paper towels, tie it into a uniform shape with kitchen twine at 2-inch intervals, and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.
2. In a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, warm 1 tablespoon of the oil until shimmering. Add the beef and cook, undisturbed, until deeply browned on the bottom, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the beef a quarter turn and continue cooking, until well browned on each of the remaining three sides, about 10 minutes more; adjust the heat if the bottom of the pot threatens to burn. Transfer the beef to a large bowl.
3. Return the pot to medium-high heat, add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, and allow it to warm until shimmering. Add the onion, bay leaves, and 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot occasionally, until the onion begins to soften and releases some liquid, about 4 minutes. Add the paprika and flour and continue to cook, stirring, for 2 minutes more. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute more.
4. Add the wine to the pot and stir and scrape the bottom to loosen and dissolve the browned bits. Add the broth, finely chopped apricots, garlic, thyme, and ½ teaspoon salt and stir.
5. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 300°F with a rack in the lower-middle of the oven.
6. Nestle the beef (and any accumulated juices) into the pot (the liquid should come about halfway up the sides of the meat). Cover the pot, transfer it to the oven, and cook for 1¾ hours. Then add the carrots, potatoes, and halved apricots, nestling them into the liquid. Cover the pot, return to the oven, and continue to cook until the beef is extremely tender (a paring knife should slip easily into the meat) and it registers 200°F on an instant-read thermometer, 2¼ to 2¾ hours more.
7. Transfer the beef to a cutting board and, using a large slotted spoon, spoon the carrots, potatoes, onion, and apricot halves to a serving platter; tent loosely with foil to keep warm. Pour the accumulated liquid into a fat separator or measuring cup; remove and discard the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Reserve the garlic. Let the liquid rest until the fat rises to the surface, about 10 minutes. If using a fat separator, pour the liquid into another container; if using a measuring cup, tilt it and use a wide, shallow soup spoon to skim fat off the surface and discard it (the liquid will be thick, and there may not be much fat at the surface.)
8. Meanwhile, squeeze the cooked garlic cloves from their skins and mash them to a paste with a fork. Stir the garlic and most of the parsley into the defatted liquid. Taste the gravy and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, if necessary.
9. Remove the twine from the beef and cut it against the grain into ½-inch-thick slices (or pull it apart into pieces) and sprinkle it very lightly with salt and pepper. Place the meat on the platter with the vegetables and apricots, pour the gravy over the meat, sprinkle with the remaining parsley, and serve.