Old-Fashioned Pressure Cooker Pot Roast

Pat the roast dry with paper towels. Season both sides of the roast well with salt and pepper. Select Sauté and preheat the pressure cooking pot. When hot, add the vegetable oil. Add the three pieces of roast to the cooking pot so that they lay flat in the pot. Cook until the beef is browned and releases easily from the pot. Transfer to a plate.

Add the onion to the cooking pot. Sauté for about 3 minutes until tender, stirring occasionally to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Stir in the 3 1/2 cups water and beef base or bouillon, tomato paste, and bay leaf. Return the roast and any accumulated juices to the pot. Lock the lid in place. Select High Pressure and 50 minutes cook time.

When the cook time ends, turn off the pressure cooker. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes and finish with a quick pressure release. When the valve drops, carefully remove the lid. Transfer the roast to a cutting board and cover with aluminum foil.

If you wish to cook potatoes and carrots with this meal, proceed with steps 4-6. Otherwise, skip to step 7: Add potatoes and carrots directly to the juices remaining in the cooking pot. Lock the lid in place. Select High Pressure and 3 minutes cook time.

When the cook time ends, turn off the pressure cooker. Use a quick pressure release. When the valve drops, carefully remove the lid. Check the potatoes for doneness. If needed, select Sauté and simmer in the juices until potatoes reach your desired tenderness.

Use a slotted spoon to transfer the potatoes and carrots to a serving bowl and sprinkle with parsley. Cover with foil until ready to serve.

Pour the juices in the cooking pot through a mesh strainer into a fat separator. (You can skip the strainer if you like onions in your gravy. Be sure to remove the bay leaf, though!) Skim off any excess fat. Return the juices to the cooking pot.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and 1/4 cup cold water until smooth. Add ½ cup hot cooking juices to the flour mixture and stir to combine. Add the slurry to the pot, stirring constantly. Select Sauté and bring the gravy to a boil, stirring constantly until it thickens. Taste the gravy and season with salt and pepper to taste.

To serve, cut the roast into pieces and place on a rimmed serving platter. Ladle half the gravy over the roast and pour the rest of the gravy into a gravy boat to serve with the potatoes and carrots.