The Earthy Ingredient To Give Pot Roast A Major Flavor Boost

Pot roast may seem like it doesn't need any extra ingredients to make it meatier, but when has anyone ever complained about a roast that's too savory? A pot roast serves one clear purpose: to give you the most comforting plate of tender beef you can possibly imagine. This is not a salad or a piece of delicate fish. Pot roast is not a dish to be shy with. You want it homey and overflowing with rich, umami flavor. There are plenty of vegetables you can add to your pot roast's braising liquid to help with that. Carrots are always a favorite because they add an undercurrent of sweetness to their own hearty taste when cooked, and potatoes add some creamy starch. But if you want umami, you want mushrooms. And the best choice for a perfect pot roast is dried porcinis.

Any mushroom will do well in a pot roast recipe, but porcini mushrooms have a depth of flavor few others can match. You'll get the same earthy notes that can help balance out the richness of the dish, but porcinis are also nutty, and have an intensity of flavor that beats the rest. They will stand up to the heavy taste of a pot roast dish, and they'll make things extra meaty, while adding their own unique complexity in the process. You may be doubling down on savory, but you want your mushrooms to bring some new notes to the pot too.

With a few porcini mushrooms, your pot roast will finally be the savory bomb it was meant to be, and dried porcinis are the way to go because they have a more concentrated flavor than fresh. You can add just a few dried porcinis directly to your braising liquid to get incredible depth that infuses the whole dish with mushroomy goodness. There is also the ease of use. As long as they are kept in a dark, dry place, dried mushrooms will keep almost indefinitely. And, while they normally need to be reconstituted by soaking, when you're dealing with a slow braise like a pot roast you can drop your mushrooms right in with no prep beyond cleaning them.

The one downside to porcinis is that they're in demand because of how flavorful they are, so they won't be cheap. They are more affordable than fresh, though, and since dried mushrooms keep better you'll be less likely to waste them. Be careful not to go overboard when adding them anyway because they are potent — you're looking to complement the pot roast, not overshadow it. Just 1 tablespoon of dried mushrooms is good for around 1 cup of liquid, so ¼ cup of mushrooms is what you should aim for with 4 cups of liquid. You can adjust to your own taste from there.