I’ve been pretty open about my disdain for pot roast. It’s never been a dish that’s overly impressed me, but much of that could be attributed to my upbringing. My mother was a fantastic cook, but honestly, pot roast wasn’t her strong suit. She didn’t make the dish very often, and when she did, I wouldn’t say it was her strong suit.

So as a kid, I didn’t eat it much at home … which meant I rarely ordered it at a restaurant … which is also means why 30 years later, pot roast is just not my thing.

Until now.

Thanks to a recent dinner with Zara Abbasi Wilkerson in which she prepared oxtail, I was inspired to give slow-cooked beef another shot. It also didn’t hurt that I’d just received a beautiful 3-lb roast in my Grass Roots Farmers’ Cooperative meat-share package.

While I rarely watch the Food Network anymore, I do tend to bounce around its website when searching for a quality recipe. The recipes are often well laid out, user-friendly, and include comprehensive reviews, as was the case with this Perfect Pot Roast.

This ten-ingredient, one-pot recipe is not only supper easy, but also yields any amazing pot roast, with a post clean-up that’s easy to manage. I followed the directions precisely (although I did add some mushrooms) and was 100% pleased with the results. For me, using a good Dutch oven, along with a quality piece of meat and a nice, bold red wine were absolutely essential elements.

I ended up serving the super tender beef over mashed potatoes and a side of roasted Brussels sprouts. That’s a tough dish to beat when it comes to comfort food.

Some would even say it’s perfect.