Beef Pot Roast With Maple Sweet Potatoes & Cider Gravy

I saw this recipe earlier this week at Tried-and-True Cooking with Heidi. I didn't think I'd get to make it this week, but it found a spot on my menu yesterday evening.

When I think of apple flavors with meat, I usually think of pork. I have to say I was intrigued by the idea of using beef instead. Heidi made some changes to the recipe when she made it, taking into account her family's taste. I decided I would try to stick close to the original recipe from the Cattlemen's Beef Board and National Cattlemen's Beef Association.

I made these small changes:

- I used a smaller beef arm roast instead of the larger chuck shoulder
- I used 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves instead of fresh
- my garlic and ginger were both the kind from a jar, usually found in the produce section

This roast turned out amazingly tender and moist. The apple cider flavor works surprisingly well with beef. I liked the combination of ginger and maple in the sweet potatoes, but found I needed to salt them a little more as I was eating them.

If you don't want to use brandy, I think you'd be fine using a little more cider instead. But, in my opinion, it's the brandy that makes the gravy and it's the gravy that makes the entire meal.

If you're looking for a great autumn meal, this is it! But you know what? I found a very similar recipe that uses pork, and I think I'll be trying that one soon as well.