I want to let you know how much I enjoyed your Kitchen Mailbox pieces, your column for new cooks and other articles in the Ann Arbor News. I have cut out oodles of them and have tried many, all with success. Do you have time to request a recipe from Fresh Seasons. When they had their own kitchen and chefs, they made a wonderful Guinness pot roast type dish that I really miss. Thank you again for keeping us readers supplied with fresh ideas and recipes.

Karen Ferguson

Thank you, Karen. The Kitchen Mailbox is still a part of the Ann Arbor scene - the venue has just changed a bit. The recipe you requested is on the Fresh Seasons Web site in the winter recipe section.

This is a fantastic meal when there is a nip in the air. I feel that this pot roast is one very good reason to keep a few bottles/cans of Guinness available. When I prepared this recipe this past winter I added 2 cups of sliced mushrooms for the last 45 minutes of cooking and loved the addition.

Guinness pot roast from Fresh Seasons Market

1 boneless chuck pot roast or arm roast (3-3 1/2 lb) Salt and pepper 2 Tbsp. olive oil 1 1/2 cup onion, diced 2/3 cup carrot, diced 2/3 cup celery, diced 1/4 cup garlic, thinly sliced 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes 2 bay leaves 3 Tbsp. tomato paste 1/2 cup pretzels, finely ground2 bottles Guinness or other dark beer (12 oz. each) 2 cup chicken or beef broth 2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce 3 carrots, peeled, cut into 3-inch long chunks fresh parsley for garnish 1/2 lb. sliced mushrooms (my addition)

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Trim meat of excess fat and season with salt adn pepper;heat oil over medium-high in an ovenproof Dutch oven. Sear roast on both sides until brown, 8-10 minutes total. Remove roast from pan. 2. Sweat vegetables and seasonings in the pot for 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste, cook 2 minutes, then stir in pretzels. 3. Deglaze with Guinness, scraping up the brown bits on teh bottom of teh pan; stir in broth, Dijon and Worcestershire. Return the seared roast to the pot and bring the liquid to a simmer. Cover the pot, then transfer to the oven; braise roast for 2 hours. After 2 hours remove pot from the oven and turn the roast oven with a carving fork. 4. Add carrot chunks (and mushrooms if using) then cover and return pot to the oven. Braise another 45 minutes or until the meat is spoon-tender. To serve, transfer roast adn carrots to a platter and cut meat into chunks. Bring sauce to a simmer, skimming off fat, then spoon it over teh roast. %. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley. Makes one roast plus 4 cups sauce.