Martha Stewart's Slow-Cooker Pot Roast

This has NOT turned into the Martha Stewart blog. I'm just really behind these days and meant to post this last week. I was distracted by my 8-year-old niece ending up in the hospital with kidney failure that was most likely caused by e-coli. They haven't figured out the source of the bacteria but the infection was so bad that she had to be placed on dialysis and given a feeding tube. We are hopeful that treatment will restore her to good health.

A word of caution to the kind folks that read this blog, while I can't say for sure my niece contracted this bacteria from fruit (but there is a good chance), please wash your fruits and vegetables before eating them! And I hope anyone who reads this is in good health. :)

Be sure to season this dish to taste otherwise it could be rather bland. Check out Martha's site for variations on this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 8 medium carrots, cut into thirds
• 2 medium onions, each cut into 8 wedges
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 beef chuck roast (3 pounds), trimmed of excess fat
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Preparations:

1. In slow cooker, stir together cornstarch and 2 tablespoons cold water until smooth. Add carrots and onions; season with salt and pepper, and toss.
2. Sprinkle roast with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; place on top of vegetables, and drizzle with Worcestershire. Cover; cook on high, 6 hours (or on low, 10 hours).
3. Transfer roast to a cutting board; thinly slice against the grain. Place vegetables in a serving dish; pour pan juices through a fine-mesh sieve, if desired. Serve roast with vegetables and pan juices.