Sauerbraten (Pressure Cooker)

Sauerbraten is a classic German pot roast dish, originally made with horse (!) but now usually with a low cut of beef such as chuck. Normally this is a roast that must braise in a Dutch oven for several hours, but in this case I used a pressure cooker, a programmable pressure cooker that was an unexpected present from my brother in law. This is a fabulous one-pot meal that can be made very quickly and has deeply infused flavors from the pressure cooking. The choice of stock is up to you; any flavorful stock will do. The meat has a perfectly wonderful sour-tangy character from the vinegar and the pickling spices, balanced out with the brown sugar.

3-4 lbs chuck roast
1 large onion, med dice
4 stalks celery, med dice
4 carrots, med dice
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup red wine (such as Zinfandel)
1/2 cup beef or other flavorful stock
2 bay leaves
1 Tbsp juniper berries
1 tsp black peppercorns
2 Tbsp pickling spice
2 Tbsp dark brown sugar
handful of pitted prunes or large raisins
1 lb white fingerling potatoes
Butter and flour to finish sauce
fresh parsley leaves, chopped

Use the "saute" setting on the pressure cooker and brown the roast on all sides in a little oil. Remove and set aside. Add the onion, carrot, and celery mirepoix and saute until it softens. Add garlic and stir well. Add liquids and spices and sugar and salt. Add meat back into the pot, sprinkle prunes on top and add the fingerling potatoes. Cook at 15 lbs pressure for one hour. Remove meat and set aside. Remove potatoes and set aside. Strain liquid and set solids aside. Add liquid back to pot and add butter and flour in small quantities, whisking between each addition. whisk until sauce begins to thicken. Slice sauerbraten and arrange on serving platter. Surround with potatoes. Cover with the mirepoix-prune mixture. Sprinkle fresh parsley on top. Serve with a pot of the thickened sauce.