We were at the local Sam’s Club looking for a seven-bone roast to make a pot roast in the pressure cooker. We couldn’t find a seven-bone roast. We did, however, find a family pack of bottom round steaks. Round steaks have good flavor but are generally quite tough and therefore quite a bit cheaper than more tender cuts. Thick cuts of round steak, Swiss steak, can be prepared using the braising method; low heat and a small amount of liquid. Swiss steak is usually cooked on the stove top but we decided to use the pressure cooker to “Swiss” the meat and then cook potatoes vegetables in the broth also using the pressure cooker. The pressure cooker would provide us with very tender cuts of meat from the tough, old round steak and the vegetables would make up the rest of the meal just as if we had cooked a pot roast. The fact that the round steals were approaching their “sell by date” and we reduced in price made it an even easier choice for dinner.

Be sure to read your pressure cooker instruction manual and follow approved procedures.

• 4 pounds Angus® bottom round steaks
• 1 pound carrots
• 1 pound whole mushrooms
• 6 stalks celery
• 1 1-ounce pack of onion soup mix
• Ground black pepper and garlic salt

• 2 pounds small Russet potatoes (~14)
• 5 or 6 small onions
• ½ pound French green beans
• 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
• Kitchen Bouquet® and beef base (or bouillon)

1. Open store meat package and remove steaks. Rinse under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels. Arrange steals on a cookie sheet; season with garlic salt and ground black pepper. Turn steaks over and season the other side with garlic salt and pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for about 1 hour – longer is fine.

   

2. Prepare vegetables: If using French green beans, clipping the ends is sufficient before cutting to length. If you are using larger green beans, you will need to snap the ends and pull the strings before cutting to length. Trim ends of celery stalks and remove any strings. Cut into lengths. Trim the stem of the mushrooms but leave the mushrooms whole. Rinse under running water and drain in colander. Peel carrots, trim ends and cut into lengths. Peel potatoes. Leave small potatoes whole, quarter larger potatoes. Trim ends and peel small onions; leave whole. Set vegetables aside.

   

3. If this had been a single large Swiss steak or a whole roast, I would have browned it in the pressure cooker before placing the rack in the bottom of the pot. This was a lot of smaller steaks and it was easier to brown them, a few at a time in a frying pan and then transfer them to the pressure cooker after placing some olive oil and the rack in the bottom of the cooker.

   

4. Fry steaks just until they start to brown. Turn and brown the other side. Remove from pan. Save pan with brown bit to make gravy later. After all the steaks have been browned, add a bit of olive oil to the bottom of the pressure cooker. Place the rack in the bottom of the pot. Add the cream of mushroom soup and make an even layer on the rack. Place to of the steaks on the rack. Sprinkle with some of the onion soup mix. Add two more steaks crossways so the steaks don’t pile but stack like firewood. Sprinkle with onion soup mix. Continue until all the steaks are in place. Add 2 cups of water.

   

5. Secure lid to pressure cooker. Heat over high heat until steam is escaping from the vent stem and the interlock has engaged. Place the vent pipe rocker. Continue heating until the rocker begins to rock back and forth. Reduce heat to maintain a slow rhythmic rocking; about 7 minutes. (On my stove high is 10. I reduce to about 5 or 6, depending on how much is in the cooker, to maintain – your stove will be different. I just mention tis so you have a reference for a starting place, about half.) Set timer for 20 minutes. After twenty minutes remove from heat; carefully place the cooker in the kitchen sink and douse with running water. Be careful not to cover the vents; reduced pressure will suck in the water. When the safety interlock drops out you can turn off the water and open the lid of the cooker. Place the steaks on a platter. Careful, they will be very tender. Cover with foil to keep warm and prevent drying out. Leave cooking broth in cooker.

   

6. Add the vegetables to the cooker. Layer most durable on the bottom; starting with carrots, then celery, beans, potatoes, onions and mushrooms. Replace lid. Heat over high heat until steam is escaping from the vent pipe. Add vent rocker and continue heating until rocker jiggles. This will take longer than when cooking the meat, about 10 to 12 minutes. Reduce heat to maintain a slow rhythmic rocking. Set timer and cook for 4 minutes. Remove from heat and cool in the sink under running water. When pressure has reduce carefully open lid. Use slotted spoon to remove vegetables to a bowl.

   

7. Heat the reserved frying pan over medium heat. Add 2 table spoons of butter and 4 tablespoons of flour. Stir and cook roux incorporating the brown bits from browning the steaks. Add the cooking broth to the roux and cook and stir until gravy starts to thicken. Add 2 tablespoons of Kitchen Bouquet ® and 1 tablespoon of beef base (instant bouillon) if desired. Season with some fresh ground black pepper; cook until gravy is of the desired consistency. Remove from heat.

   

8. The meat is already on a platter, the vegetables are in a bowl or two. Put the gravy in a boat and you are ready to serve a delicious Swiss steak dinner complete with vegetables ala pot roast.