Drunken Beef and Carrots

2 beef chuck roasts
1 ½ bulbs fresh garlic
1 large grapefruit sized yellow onion
5 bay leaves
Fresh Cracked Pepper to taste
10 carrots, skin removed and chopped in half
4 stalks celery, cleaned and chopped in half
3 dashes ground clove
1 packet Lipton Onion Soup Mix
3 cups beef broth (from better than bullion)
2 cups burgundy
2 tablespoons kitchen bouquet
(no added salt)
1 tablespoon of oil
(You may add a cup of water to dilute if desired)
For those who like mushrooms- clean mushrooms, leave whole and saute in pan, add to dutch oven at the start of cooking. 

Cornstarch Slurry
3 tablespoons corn starch and the same amount of cold water. Whip with a fork until it loosens, add more water if needed. 

Heat frying pan on medium high heat, add oil and 1 chuck roast, sear beef in a hot pan on both sides, transfer to lg dutch oven, repeat with second roast. In the same pan sear the onion after you have skinned it and cut it in half, transfer to dutch oven with beef. Turn down heat on pan, break apart garlic, shell, remove ends and saute whole, rough chop on a cutting board and place in dutch oven. Add black pepper, ground clove, Lipton onion soup mix, bay leaves, beef broth, wine (water if adding). Cover tightly with foil and cook several hours at 350 degrees. The last hour of cooking add celery and carrots, re-secure the foil. When carrots are done, tip pan carefully and add the cornstarch slurry slowly, mixing it rapidly with a fork or whisk. Re-close foil and allow the gravy to thicken for 5 to ten minutes. 

Red Skin Whipped Potatoes

4 pounds red skin potatoes, scrubbed and halved
Fresh ground sea salt to taste
Fresh butter to taste (about 1 stick)
dash of white pepper 
2 cups half and half warmed in microwave

Scrub, halve and gently boil 4 pounds red potatoes. When potatoes are fork tender, drain, return to pot, add butter salt and white pepper and half the ½ and ½ . Use a hand mixer to whip potatoes, adding more half and half as needed. Do not over-whip, leave slightly lumpy.