Beef Roast with Dark Rum Sauce

I am amazing!!  Even after a rough weekend and an early morning doctors appt for Hess, I made our Monday Crockpot meal.  This beef roast is not the one to make while you are at work.  The roast needs to be basted several times while it is being cooked.

Hess had 104.5 degree temp on Saturday, very fussy and very tired.  Last night he barely slept with complaints that anything touching him hurt.  So this morning we rushed to the pediatrician to find out he has a virus and will most likely have it for several more days.  Oh joy.  The good news is that so far Diane is still feeling fine.  Fingers crossed that she stays well especially since she is still under 3 months!

When we got back from the doctors I had to start cooking.  Prep work was pretty easy.  Combine 1 tsp ground allspice,  1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper and 1/4 tsp ground cloves in a small bowl.  Rub spices all over 3 lbs of lean beef bottom round roast.

Heat 2 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Add the beef to the skillet and cook it for around 8 minutes, browning it on all sides.  

Remove the roast and place it in the crockpot.  Add 1/2 cup of dark rum, 1/2 cup of beef broth, 2 minced garlic cloves and 2 whole bay leaves that were broken in half.  I used spiced Captain Morgan because that was what we had in the cupboard.  It worked just fine.  Cover and cook it on low for 1 hour.

Combine 1/2 cup of rum,  1/2 cup of packed dark brown sugar and 1/4 cup of lime juice.  Stir it until well blended and pour over roast.  Cover and cook on low 4-6 hours.  You should baste with sauce occasionally.  I did it once an hour.

Remove the roast.  Throw away the bay leaves.  Let stand 10-15 minutes before serving.  To serve, spoon the sauce over the beef.

Don't forget the sauce, otherwise the roast is a little dry.  But the sauce is very flavorful.

Because we were dealing with a very sick boy I only had time to heat up some Green Giant frozen vegetables.  But I did make some mashed sweet potatoes.  I thought the sweetness would offset the bite of the allspice and cloves on the roast.  I cooked and mashed the sweet potatoes.  Then I mixed 1/3 cup of brown sugar, 2 Tbsp water, 1/4 tsp of cinnamon and 1/4 cup of butter in a small pot.  When the butter was melted, I stirred the mixture into the already mashed sweet potatoes.  I think the key to good mashed potatoes is to find a good masher.  I had been using a cheap one that I had for years and years.  The other day I noticed it was chipping, so I tossed it and bought a new one on Amazon.  I bought a Calphalon Nylon Utensils Potato Masher.  Oh my goodness, such a difference.  They were so smooth!

Overall I would say the roast was really good.  Hess even ate a couple bites despite feeling awful.  But it is not my favorite.  A little dry for my taste. The hubby really liked if.

Smiles from Hess despite the virus!!