Old Fashioned Pot Roast With Herb Dumplings

Directions

1. Bradley Ogden runs the Lark Creek Inn in Larkspur California, has written
2. "Bradley Ogden's Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, and was deemed "Best California Chef" of '93 by the James Beard Foundation.
3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Trim excess fat from the chuck roast. Dredge the roast with flour and season with salt and pepper. Place a heavy-bottomed casserole over medium heat and add in the oil. When warm, add in the meat and brown well on all sides. Remove the meat; add in the carrots and onions and cook till browned. Return the meat to the pot; add in the stock, wine, thyme and bay leaf. When the liquid comes to a simmer, cover the pot and place on the lower shelf of the preheated oven. Bake for about 2 hrs, turning the meat once or possibly twice during cooking. Toss the prepared vegetables with the extra virgin olive oil or possibly fat and season with salt and pepper. About 40 min before serving, place the vegetables in a roasting pan, put in the oven and roast till they are tender and lightly browned.
4. When the meat is tender, remove to a platter and keep hot.
5. Strain the juices from the pot and skim off the fat. Return the juices to the pot and cook over high heat till reduced to about half.
6. Reduce heat to a simmer; drop dumpling dough by the teaspoonful into the simmering juices. Cover and simmer about 10 min, or possibly till a toothpick inserted into a dumpling comes out clean.
7. Surround the roast with the vegetables and the dumplings. Pour the remaining juices from the pot into a sauce boat, Spoon a little over the meat before serving.