Red Wine Braised Beef

3-5 pound beef roast
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons coconut oil
2 onions, chopped medium
1 carrot, peeled and chopped medium
1 celery rib, chopped medium
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour (or your favorite thickener...I used same amount of potato starch flour)
2 cups dry red wine
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 cups low-sodium beef broth
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley (optional)

Dry roast with paper towel, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until just rippling. Brown roast on all sides, 7 to 10 minutes; transfer to slow cooker.

Add onions, carrot, celery, tomato paste, and thyme to fat in skillet (I had to add more coconut oil) and cook over medium-high heat until onions are softened and lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in wine and vinegar, scraping up any browned bits and smoothing out any lumps. Bring to simmer and cook until reduced to 1 cup, about 5 minutes; transfer to slow cooker.

Stir broth and bay leaves into slow cooker. Cover and cook until beef is tender, 8-10 hours on low or 4-6 hours on high. Last time I made this I did 1 hour low, 3 hours high, 1 hour low.

Transfer roast to serving platter and tent loosely with aluminum foil. Let braising liquid settle for 5 minutes, then remove fat from surface using large spoon (I didn't need to do this as my tri-tip roast was very lean). Strain braising liquid, discarding solids (optional... all I discard is the bay leaves, whatever suits your fancy), and season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Stir in parsley (if desired... I usually forget!). Serve with mashed potatoes and use remaining sauce as gravy for both the meat and the potatoes.