Cranberry Roast (#11)

Unfortunately, this post does not come with photos. Today, I work 10 hours without a lunch. And you may wonder why this matters, but coming home to a house that smells THAT amazing means no "FINISHED photo." Good thing, this was SO good and flavorful, this will be a frequent meal.

1.  roast (I used a 4 pound rump roast, but I am sure a pork roast would do wonderful too)
2.  a couple of WHOLE gloves of garlic.
3.  a can of jellied cranberry sauce. (The recipe I used called for 2, but I feared this would be too sweet. I used one, and it was plenty...even enough to make a pretty delicious gravy)
4. salt
5. pepper

I rubbed the roast with the salt and pepper, and placed it in the Crockpot. Take the jellied cranberry sauce, and slice it. I covered the roast in the slices, and added a cup of water and the cloves of garlic. Cover and cook for 8 hours. While it is cooking, I will go over the cost breakdown...

roast - $9.63

cranberry - $1.65

garlic - $0.65

mashed potatoes - $0.95

mixed veggies - $1.00

I did not calculate the cost of salt, pepper, and flour (to be used later) since this is a regular in my cabinet. Total cost - $13.88. This made enough for 2 meals each for the 5 of us, which breaks down to a WHOLE $1.39 a meal. That is a GREAT bargain if you ask me. :-)

Back to the roast... it has been 8 hours, and it is done. Michael has made some instant mashed potatoes and mixed veggies to act as sides. I take a cup or so of the sauce in the Crockpot, and whisk it with a little flour until it reaches the consistency of gravy. This roast is as tender as you can expect from a Crockpot, but the flavor of the cranberry was amazing. The smell and taste reminded me of family holiday dinners. The gravy was served on top of the meat and potatoes, and made it that much better. I highly recommend this meal to anyone who loves a good roast. Who knew a big family dinner can be made while at work. Man, whoever invented the Crockpot is my hero! Until next time...