To Die For Pot Roast

I found a recipe for a slow cooker pot roast on another cooking blog, The Petite Filet, the other day and it sounded really good, so I decided to make it last night since I had a late class, and I could just come home from work, throw it together, and then come back from class later and dinner would already be cooking. It's like having a personal chef! Crock Pot, will you be my Valentine? Anyway, it was really easy, so here's the recipe:

To Die For Pot Roast

4 lb. roast, any kind (I used a chuck roast.)
2 packets brown gravy mix
2 packets ranch dressing mix
1 packet Italian dressing mix
1/2 c. white wine (I used Turning Leaf Pinot Grigio, but you can also use a Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, etc. Any white wine will work.)
1/2 c. water
3-5 carrots, peeled and chopped. (I only used 3, but you can add as many as you want.)

*note: the original recipe called for quartered red potatoes, but I don't like the way potatoes taste when they're cooked with the roast, so I made Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes instead.

Empty all packets into a small bowl and mix together.
Rub packet mixture all over the roast, covering completely.
Add wine and water to bottom of crock pot and add in carrots.
Put roast on top and cook for 4-5 hours on high heat. (You can also cook for 8 hours on low heat if you will be gone all day.)

My roast was a slightly less than 4 lbs, so I cooked it for 4 hours on high and it turned out absolutely delicious! The meat practically melted in my mouth it was so juicy and tender. The wine also brings out a great flavor in the meat. Definitely try this one!

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
adapted from Pioneer Woman

5 lbs. regular Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and halved (I use Yukon Gold.)
1 pkg. cream cheese, softened
2 sticks regular butter, softened
4-6 heads garlic, roasted

Roasting the garlic is the longest process, and you don't want to try to handle them straight out of the oven, so you should definitely do this first.
Get a pie plate and add 1-2 tbsp. (1-2 times around the plate) of olive oil. Tilt plate to cover completely.
Chop off the tops of the garlic heads to expose the cloves.
Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.
Roast in a 375 degree oven for 40-45 minutes.

Once you have the garlic in the oven, put a stockpot of water on high heat and bring it to a healthy simmer.
Then, add the potatoes and boil for 30 minutes or until fork-tender.
When the potatoes are ready, drain them and return them to the stockpot on the oven, reducing to low heat.
Mash potatoes for 2-3 minutes on low heat until most of the steam is released. (This prevents the potatoes from being mealy and watery. Cause that's just gross.)
Then, turn off the heat and add the butter and mash in.
Add the cream cheese and mash in.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Then, and this is the BEST part, grab the heads of roasted garlic at the bottom, turn them over above the potatoes, and squeeze from the bottom until the roasted cloves come out. Some will still be in tact and others will be mushy. This feels really gross but I promise, the result is worth the mess on your hands. Just mash the cloves into the potatoes, and then get ready to enjoy! These are seriously the best mashed potatoes EVER!

(Sorry I didn't get any pictures this time.)