STUFFED ROAST

I was thinking, "What shall I cook today?" We have had some good delicious meals lately, and I wanted to keep up the pace; I wanted another delicious meal. A stuffed roast came to mind. So I went to my favorite cookbook, the internet. Several good sounding recipes came up….. I got the general idea of how I wanted to make my roast .... Then I asked my husband to grab a roast out of the freezer. What do you think he brought in? A four inch thick arm roast! Now what am I going to do with that; I wanted to stuff it-I thought out loud. I partially thawed it, and then I sawed three equal distant slots down into the partially frozen meat. Now instead of one pocket to fill, I had three that I could fill with delicious surprises. I sent my husband to the store, with a written list, to buy onions, celery, basil, parsley, mushrooms, bacon, olive oil, and red peppers… And, he came home without the mushrooms-forgot them. (Oh well…)…



INGREDIENTS:

3-5 pound arm roast (you can use a thinner tenderloin roast) slit into 1+ inch thick slots, almost completely to the other side. Stay at least ½ inch from the outside walls. (Try not to poke through, or your stuffing and flavoring will seep out.)

1 very large onion (or several small ones), chopped
2- 3 cloves of garlic, crushed (or 1-2 teaspoons of jarred chopped garlic)
1 large red pepper chopped
(You can add fresh or canned sliced mushrooms- approximately ¼ pound)
1 large stalk of chopped celery
1/4- 1/2 loose cup of fresh Parsley (2 Tablespoons of dried)
1/4 loose cup of fresh Basil (½ - 1 Tablespoon of dried)
1/4- 1/2 stick butter (I later added more)
2- 3 Tablespoon Olive oil
Salt and Pepper to your taste
1/2 cup Pepperidge Farm herbal stuffing
1/2- 1 pound bacon
2 packages of brown gravy mix cooked to package directions
Baking potatoes to put in the oven in the latter end of your roast cooking time

INSTRUCTIONS:

STUFFING: (can be made ahead of time)

Sauté onions, garlic, red pepper and celery, in half of the olive oil and butter (Add more oil and butter as needed to keep from sticking)
Add salt and pepper –to your taste
When the vegetables are tender, add parsley and basil (Here is where you may need more butter and/or oil) –cook a few more minutes
Now add your Pepperidge farm stuffing- you may prefer to add more butter or oil (your discretion) Mix thoroughly


ROAST:
Let the roast sit at room temperature for ½ - 1 hour,
Pat it dry, rub it with olive oil and message salt and pepper into the sides
Quickly Sear/Brown the outside of your roast, on all sides, in a hot oiled/buttered pan
Stuff the pocket(s) of your roast with the stuffing mixture.
Squeeze the roast shut, and wrap bacon around the side with the open slots,
Place in a roasting pan (if you can, place the slots facing up)
Place a cup of water in the bottom of the pan
Bake covered at 350 degrees for 1 - 2+ hours. (Depends on your “Done” preference)

Mix the brown gravy packages with a little of the roast juice for added flavor to serve over your meat, or on your oven baked potatoes

OPTION: You can fill one pocket with chopped broccoli, if you like. You can add Dijon mustard, or grated parmesian