the roast
1/4 tsp jane's crazy mixed-up salt (if you can'tsp get this seasoning, use seasoned salt instead, but jane's is by far the best)
1 cup beef stock (i much prefer the boxed stock to the canned broth - it just seems to give the gravy a much richer taste in the end)
cover the roasting pan and place it in a pre-heated 300 degree oven. roast for 4 to 5 hours, until the meat is fork tender and falls apart easily. i check the roast each hour, quickly opening the lid, just to make sure the stock has not evaporated. as long as your pan has a good seal on it, this shouldn'tsp happen. but if necessary, add more stock to the pan.
about an hour before the roast is done, prepare the mashed potatoes. peel 6 large red potatoes (these work better - at least for me - because they are much moister than the russets, so the mashed potatoes are creamier); cut into 1/4th, and place them in a large saucepan - rinse the cut potatoes 2 times in cold water, then cover them in fresh cold water and place the pan over medium high heat; boil until tender. this is usually about 30 minutes, but it depends on the size of your cuts, so just cook them until you can easily insert a fork into a potato. drain potatoes well, reserving 1 cup of the water for the gravy. add the following to the hot potatoes
1/2 tsp jane's crazy mixed up salt (use regular salt or garlic salt if jane's salt is not available)
i use a hand masher, but you can use an electric mixer or however you chose to mash the potatoes into a creamy yet firm texture. add more milk if potatoes are too stiff. place the mashed potatoes in a buttered casserole dish, cover with foil, and place in the oven to keep warm while you make the gravy.
stir in 1/4 cup flour to make a paste
stir in enough beef stock to thin the paste enough to pour.
place the roasting pan over a medium flame and bring the liquid to a gentle boil (i usually seem to have about 1 1/2 to 2 cups liquid in the pan when the roast is done - if you have less, just use the beef stock to increase your liquid).
use a whisk to gradually whisk in the butter/flour/stock liquid.
add 2 tbsp beef base - i use tone's (i prefer beef base to buillon - has a richer flavor and is really worth having on hand, but if you can'tsp find this, try knorr's beef buillon extra large cubes)
add the 1 cup of reserved potato water
add 1/2 cup beef stock
taste the gravy and see if you want more seasoning. i usually find i don'tsp need to add anything at this point, since i have the seasoning from the flour coating and the
stock and the beef base. if you think you need more seasoning, add salt and
pepper to your taste. beef base will also give you more saltiness.
keep the gravy warm while you uncover the meat and use 2 forks to pull the meat apart into small to medium chunks.
you are now ready to assemble...