When given the choice between steak or roast, I’m sure most would opt for their favorite cut of steak. Then there’s my husband who says forget cutting anything. Grind it all up and make it ground beef. My favorite, though, has got to be a roast. There are few foods I enjoy more than shredded meat. Barbacoa, carnitas, pulled pork, pot roast; If you shred it, I’ll eat it.

So when we came to be the proud owners of pounds and pounds of locally raised beef, I went straight for the roast and tucked the rest gently in our freezer. What would it become? A pot roast or barbacoa? No, this time I vowed to branch out and try something new. Something exotic. Mississippi Roast. This ridiculously simple dish caught fire a few years back and I decided to give it a go finally. It requires only minimal ingredients. Namely a chuck roast, a packet of dry ranch dressing mix, a packet of au jus, a stick of butter, and a precise amount of pepperoncini.

Never one to have everything I need in my pantry, I made my way to the grocery store, toddler-in-tow, only to discover that this particular store did not carry “au jus packets” or else they hid them very well. So, I did what any sane mother would do and skipped the faux meat juice packet and made my way to cashier clutching my jar of pepperoncini. Instead of the au jus, I ended up using my trusty jar of Better Than Bouillon Beef Base, which is probably less suspicious as far as ingredients go. And, happily, I happened to have a lone packet of Simply Organic Ranch Salad Dressing Mix in my stockpile. Done.

The roast turned out splendidly, with the rich, savory flavor of beef and butter cut by the light zest of the peppers. Serve on top of noddles, mashed potatoes, or on a fluffy bun along with a leafy green salad (doused in ranch dressing of course!). This is one of those meals that is special enough for company but simple enough for a weeknight meal and if you’re lucky, you’ll have leftovers for lunch the next day.

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