Teeny Tiny Kitchens

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Justin Spring says that he went through a “Kitchen Clutter Intervention” which began with his admission that he was “powerless over kitchen clutter and that his life in the kitchen had become unmanageable as a result”.  His book is The Itty Bitty Kitchen Handbook: Everything You Need To Know About Setting Up and Cooking in the Most Ridiculously Small Kitchen in the World- Your Own. The book features 100 recipes and countless tips on how to deal with small spaces.

You can visit his website and read a Q & A session with the author about his experiences living with his tiny kitchen.

Justin has provided the following recipe:

Mom's Sunday Pot Roast


Here is an ultra-simple pot roast (made with a miraculously inexpensive cut of beef) that is incredibly delicious ‚ dark, rich, and fork-tender. Its slow cooking makes your entire home smell beefy and good, even if you cook it (as I do) in a toaster oven. By using a boneless chuck steak rather than chuck roast, you don’t even need to carve or slice anything ‚ it’s ready to go to the plate just as it is.
Mom’s final note on to me on this recipe is: Make gravy or not depending on your mood and degree of hunger, I’m not a gravy-making guy (and neither is Mom-who is she kidding?), so while I might use sour cream (or applesauce) mixed with prepared horseradish as an accompaniment, I find this pot roast is really delicious all by itself, garnished with just a little finely chopped fresh parsley.

1 1/2 to 2 pounds boneless chuck steak, approximately 1 1/2 inches thick, with some fat on it
salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup low-sodium beef broth (optional)
2 shallots or 1 medium large onion, peeled but left whole
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
3 medium carrots, scraped and cut into chunks

Preheat your (toaster) oven to 375 degrees F.

Line a 9 x 9-inch pan with tinfoil for easiest cleanup. Season the meat well with salt and pepper and put it in the pan with the shallots or onion. Add 1/3 cup of water or the broth if using. Put the pan in the oven uncovered and roast for 30 minutes.

Turn the meat over, cover the pan with foil, and bake for 30 to 45 minutes more at a reduced heat of 350 degrees F. Add the potatoes and carrots to the pan, turning and basting them with the juices as you do so and sprinkling them with some salt and pepper. Then cover it again with the aluminum foil and bake until the vegetables are done ‚ about 30 minutes more.

Serves 2.