Scarborough Fair Pot Roast - Eat to the Beat

Are you goin' to Scarborough Fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme.
Remember me to one who lives there,
she once was a true love of mine.

I always imagine a medieval fair in Britain with fair maidens and this song being sung by a troubadour. I don't know why, but it has that kind of dreamy quality and always feels a little sad and poignant to me. It just gets stuck in my head, so it's no surprise it popped into my head as I pulled out the ingredients for dinner.

Yes. It's another event. Let's face it. I am depending on the culinosphere for inspiration these days for things to make. Since D is always at work and I am home with the boys there isn't anyone to really share the meals with (that's over 3 feet tall). On a lot of the days that it is just us, all Aidan wants is pancakes, soup, pizza, chicken and the things he is used to. That is probably why, other than desserts, there is a lot of comfort food on my blog. Either way, I appreciate everyone out there for coming up with great events that I can spend time on to keep myself sane this winter.

To that end, I was checking out IMBB and there was this event that sounded really fun - it is time to Eat to the Beat! The mastermind behind this bash is Elly Says Opa! who wanted food bloggers to post about something that was either inspired by a song or related to a song or music for her Eat to the Beat event. I actually had another post for this that I was thinking about, but when I started to make dinner tonight, the hilarity of what I was doing that I hadn't really thought about, and hadn't intended to blog about either, just hit me as perfect for her event. I think that this captures exactly what she was talking about with how we relate music to food.

I should start out by mentioning that I am a HUGE Simon & Garfunkle fan. HUGE. I grew up on their Greatest Hits on 8-track that my parents had, and yes, we still had a working 8-track player too. Then, in high school I graduated to buying my own CD. I think I've actually gone through a couple of CD's. The earliest song I remember learning in 1st grade for music class was Simon & Garfunkle's Feeling Groovy. I loved it then and still do. Until a few years ago one of the things I was most sad about in the music industry was the fact that Simon & Garfunkle had a falling out and were no longer together. Then, miracle of miracles, then reconciled, toured the country and I got to go. Granted, the seats we got weren't as good as we thought they would be, but it was still great to be there and the concert was absolutely amazing. Other than the U2 concert I got to go to several years ago, this was probably the best concert of my life.

What I loved about it most was that there was true musicianship. Don't get me wrong, I love almost all music, electronic poppy stuff included, but I am a true band geek at heart (clarinet, 7 years). I live for "real" music made with instruments. My life has a soundtrack and so when I started making dinner tonight and was pulling out ingredients, it's no surprise that one of my favorite songs that always goes through my head popped in.

Thanks Elly for a great event that really did trigger a lot of fun and happy nostalgic memories.

Oh, and because I made all of this in one dish, I am sending this to Meeta for her Monthly Mingle over at What's For Lunch Honey? too.

Scarborough Fair Pot Roast
1 beef chuck crossrib roast (approx. 5-6 lbs)
5 red potatoes, washed and quartered rinsed and dried
6 medium sized carrots, peeled, washed and cut into 2 inch pieces
1 large yellow onion, peeled and cut in half, then thirds
1 whole bulb of garlic, split in half
1 bouquet of Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
water (enough to come half-way up the roast in the pan)
2 tablespoons canola oil

Heat a large dutch oven over medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons of canola oil. Season the roast with the salt and pepper.

Place into the hot oil to brown well on each side (approximately 5 minutes per side).

Turn heat to low and add the vegetables to the pot.

Place the bulb of garlic and herbs on top of the roast.

Pour in the water and cover the dutch oven with the lid. Simmer on low, approximately 30 minutes per pound or until tender. You can also braise in the oven at 325 degrees F until tender. Try not to open the pot very often or you will add a lot more time to your cooking time.

When the roast is done and the vegetables are tender remove to a platter and reserve the juices for serving.