Adapted from Nourish Me Home: 125 Soul-Sustaining Elemental Recipes by Cortney Burns. Text copyright © 2020 by Cortney Burns. Published by Chronicle Books. Photographs copyright © by Heami Lee.
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I believe food that evokes nostalgia can be some of the most powerful. Sure, we can elevate a dish or give it a new twist, but it’s the essence of the dish that can transport us to another time and place. This is one such dish for me. When I was growing up, my mom would make pot roast every year for my birthday. I can still see her in the kitchen gracefully peeling whole garlic cloves with perfectly manicured nails. With a paring knife, she’d pierce the flesh of the meat, creating secret pockets for the cloves to slip into, infusing the roast as it cooked with its mellow sweetness. I loved how the meat, bathing in a Cream of Onion soup mix beefy onion broth, nearly melted in my mouth, but perhaps the real treat was the leftover sandwiches—we would layer soft white bread, the kind that sticks behind your teeth, with lots of margarine butter; smashed, broth-infused carrots; and slices of warm beef. Now, I prefer my vegetables more on the al dente side, so I add them about an hour before the beef is done, which also preserves their flavor and nutrition. Spices and Kombu Dashi bolster the savoriness of my version, but the rusticity and soul are still the same.
Serves 6-8
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INGREDIENTS:

2 Tbsp coriander seeds, toasted
1 Tbsp black peppercorns
3 Tbsp dried oregano
2 Tbsp dried thyme
1 Tbsp dried mint
2 Tbsp kosher salt
2 Tbsp onion powder
1 Tbsp smoked paprika
1 Tbsp sweet paprika
4 to 5 lbs [1.8 to 2.3 kg] beef chuck roast
6 garlic cloves, quartered
1 quart [960 ml] Kombu Dashi or stock of your choice
1 lb [455 g] carrots, roughly chopped
1 lb [455 g] fingerling potatoes or chopped Yukon gold potatoes
12 shallots, peeled
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METHOD:

1. Use a spice grinder to grind the coriander and peppercorns into a fine powder, then add the oregano, thyme, and mint and pulse a few more times until uniform. Stir in the salt, onion powder, smoked paprika, and sweet paprika by hand.
2. Pat the beef dry with paper towels. Using your hands, rub the herb and spice mix all over and into any crevices.
3. Refrigerate, covered, in the Brava Chef's Pan for at least 4 hours and preferably overnight.
4. Allow the beef to come to room temperature for 30 to 60 minutes before cooking.
5. Leaving the beef (and any errant spices) in the same container, use a paring knife to cut twenty-four slits all over the beef and slip a quarter of a garlic clove into each slit.
6. Pour in the stock.
7. Cover Chef's Pan with lid.
8. Select "Mom's Pot Roast" on Brava's touchscreen and slide Chef's Pan, covered, into top oven shelf.
9. Press green button to begin cook. Note: you will add vegetables after 4 hours.
10. When Brava notifies you, remove the lid and carefully ladle out some of the liquid. Then add the carrots, potatoes, and whole shallots.
11. Slide Chef's Pan, uncovered, into top shelf.
12. Press green button to continue cooking.
13. When cook is completed, carefully remove Chef's Pan from Brava.
Note: If you prefer your veggies to be fork-tender, remove the meat once the cook completes. Bake the veggies in the juices at 400 degrees for an additional hour.
14. To serve, carefully transfer the pot roast onto a serving platter and use a slotted spoon to follow suit with all of the vegetables. Skim away as much fat as you can get from what’s left in the pan; you’ll get more if you first pour it into a tall, transparent container. The juice that’s left over is a luscious gravy that you can serve as is or reduce slightly in a saucepan before spooning it over the meat and vegetables.
Leftovers store beautifully and even develop a little more dimension overnight. Rewarm gently before serving.