ITALIAN POT ROAST

Steps:

• Adjust oven to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Pat roast with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown roast on all sides, 8-12 minutes. Transfer roast to a large plate. Reduce heat to medium and cook onion, celery, mushrooms and tomato paste until vegetables begin to soften, about 8 minutes. Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, sugar, water, ½ cup wine, whole head of garlic and thyme. Return roast and accumulated juices to pot and bring to simmer over medium-high heat. Place piece of foil over pot, cover with lid, and transfer pot to oven. Cook until roast is fork tender, 2 ½ to 3 ½ hours, flipping roast after 1 hour. Uncover pot and let roast rest in juices for 30 minutes, skimming surface fat after 20 minutes. Transfer roast to carving board and tent with foil. Remove and reserve garlic head and skim remaining fat from pot. Add remaining ½ cup wine to pot, bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and cook until sauce begins to thicken, about 12 minutes. Meanwhile carefully squeeze garlic out of head and mash into paste. Add rosemary to pot and simmer until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Remove and discard rosemary and thyme sprigs, stir in mashed garlic and season sauce with salt and pepper. Remove twine from roast and cut meat against grain into ½ -inch slices, or pull apart into large pieces. Transfer meat to serving platter and pour 3 cups sauce over meat. Serve with remaining sauce.