The Anti Instant Pot for #FastFoodFriday

I know you guys love your Instant Pots, but I'm still happy with my Crock-Pot, a.k.a. slow cooker. And, honestly, I prefer the simple ones with only low, high, warm settings. Yes, I am that person. I'm not stuck, I'm just good with set it and forget it and finish up when I get home from work. Slow cooker still works, still suits me, so no need to adjust.

Here's a simple example just in time for Fast Food Friday. Beef Pot Roast With Au Jus Gravy served up over roasted butternut squash and Brussels sprouts. As Garrison Keillor used to say on A Prairie Home Companion, "Heavens, they're tasty and expeditious!"

Picture this:

• Night before, prep veg and season beef. Place everything in crock and refrigerate.
• Next day, sipping on your first cup of coffee in the a.m., remove crock from the refrigerator and set into the outer pot. Turn setting to high. Set timer for one hour. Drink coffee, shower, dress.
• On the way out turn setting to low. 
• Go to work.
• Back home. Turn off slow cooker. Preheat oven to 425F. Peel and seed squash, cut into large chunks (see photos for detail) and set on a large baking dish.
• Take frozen (and already prepped by someone else) sprouts from freezer and pop onto the  baking dish with the squash. Drizzle liberally with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss with your hands and move to the oven.
• Mix a Gin & Tonic. Cut a piece of cheese. Go to comfy sofa or chair. Sip drink. Nibble on cheese. Say, AHHHHH...
• Relax with newspaper, NPR news on your tablet or your favorite playlist.
• When they're done, remove veg from oven and roast from the crock. Turn everything off.
• All the stuff that's left in the crock goes into a blender or gets pureed right in the crock with an immersion blender. Voila! There's your sauce!
• Gather friends or family, and there's dinner.

Can't do it without a recipe? Here's a link to the printable recipe.

And for the pictures to match all of these words...scroll on down.