This week I will see my dining room table.

Of course, it is where it has always been, a polished oval, about 6 feet long, with six chairs and topped by a runner. But for the past couple of weeks, it has been covered with four boxes of cookies I bought from the Groton Public School cafeterias, most of which I gradually distributed to friends and parties; the rest I have been nibbling on.

Wrapping paper, greeting cards, thank you notes will be put away until next year. The beautiful cape my daughter gave me will go into the hall closet, once I figure out how to put it on a hanger. Books are a problem. I have run out of bookshelf space, so I think a trip to the Book Barn is in order, if only I can merely give away books and not buy any more.

I baked a lot over the holidays, mostly sweet stuff, and recently I began making bread. The house smells wonderful, but it is time to think about real food, meals that can become three healthy meals. I made five small meatloaves but froze them. I am in the mood for a nice braise with the chuck roast I am thawing. I will use my Instant Pot, but my recipe for this stew/braise is just fine in a Dutch oven. This one is wonderful.

This is not your grandmother’s recipe, the one where she put the meat in the pot, added water and roasted until it was tender.

Jacques’ Pot Roast

Adapted from Julia and Jacques: Cooking at Home (Knopf, New York, 1999)

Yield: 6 servings

1 3- to 4-pound boneless chuck steak, very lean, trimmed of fat

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 to 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 cups chopped onions

1 large tomato, cored and chopped (or a 14-ounce of very good canned tomatoes)

2 bay leaves

3 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

1 1/2 cups white wine

1/2 cup water

1 1/2 to 2 pounds turnips (or 8 to 10 parsnips), peeled, trimmed and sliced

1 pound white onions or 8 to 10 shallots, peeled

1 pound carrots, diced into one-half pieces

1 1/2 to two cups frozen baby peas

potato starch or corn starch and white wine or water for thickening (optional)

fresh parsley for garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Season roast on all sides with salt and black pepper. Place in large heavy cooktop/oven-proof casserole with heavy lid. Set casserole on high speed with oil. When oil is hot, lay roast and sear 3 minutes; turn onto other side and sear for several minutes, until entire piece in browned and meat juices have crusted, about 15 minutes. Pour out excess oil. Arrange onions and tomato pieces, bay leaves and thyme sprigs around meat and pour in wine and water. Bring to a boil, cover casserole and set in oven for 3 to 4 hours.

Remove casserole from oven. Place roast on another plate. Strain juice into a bowl, pressing juice and discard cooked vegetables, place roast back in casserole and pour juices back. Arrange turnips or parsnips, onions or shallots, carrots and peas around the roast and season with salt and pepper, if you like. Bring to a boil, cover and place in oven for an hour to an hour and a half.

Lee White can be reached at leeawhite@aol.com.