[Instant Pot] Double Decker Coffee Pot Roast + Butternut Mash

Double Decker Dinner is a personal favorite Instant Pot recipe theme, all about finding the right combination of foods that pair together as a balanced meal and that can be stacked and cooked at the same time in the same pressure cooker. It’s one-pot wonderful! 

I’ve been told that my grandmother cooked a famously aromatic pot roast made with coffee. Unfortunately nobody knows the recipe, so I imagined how I would like it to taste. Deeply savory, slightly bitter but countered with natural sweetness from onions, enhanced with thyme and bay leaf, and finished with a touch of syrupy acidity from aged balsamic vinegar. I gave it a shot, and it was love at first bite. Now, I am here to make sure nobody loses this recipe!

The pot roast with coffee gravy can be served with whatever side dishes you prefer for your best Sunday suppers, but of course I couldn’t help myself from turning this into a Double Decker Dinner. Planning to pressure-cook my 2 pound grass-fed beef chuck roast for 45 minutes, I picked a pairing that could stand up to this long stay in the Instant Pot: butternut squash. Just cut it into two halves and place them on top of the roast, and the flesh can be easily scooped out of its skin to yield an insta-mash. Delicious!

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[Instant Pot] Double-Decker Coffee Pot Roast + Butternut Mash

For the batch in these photos, I used pearl onions but found that they completely broke down in the time it took to pressure-cook the roast. The next time I cook this, I plan to use regular yellow or sweet onions, sliced into large wedges.

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Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 45 mins

Pressure Release + Finishing 20 mins

Total Time 1 hr 20 mins

Servings 6 Servings

Ingredients

  

For the Coffee Pot Roast:

• 2 pound boneless grass-fed beef chuck roast
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup brewed coffee
• 2 medium onions sliced into large wedges
• 1 pound small/medium red or yukon gold potatoes
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

For the Butternut Mash:

• 1 small/medium butternut squash about 1 kilogram or 2.2 pounds, halved with seeds removed
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

To Garnish:

• chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

 

• Season the beef roast with salt and pepper, then add the olive oil to the pressure cooker to cook over medium heat (with Instant Pot, press the ‘Saute’ button to begin cooking at medium saute heat). When the oil is hot, place the meat into the cooker and brown well on the top and bottom surface (about 4-5 minutes on each side).
• After both sides are browned, pour in the coffee and add the thyme and bay leaf. Arrange the potatoes and onion wedges around the meat, then place the halved butternut squash on top, cut sides up. Take care not to obstruct the pressure valve area.
• Cover the pressure cooker with the lid, ensuring that the valve is in sealing position. Cook under high pressure for 45 minutes (with Instant Pot, press ‘Cancel’ to stop saute mode before closing the lid, then press ‘Manual’ and “+” to select 45 minutes).
• When the cooking time is up, allow at least 10 minutes for the pressure to release naturally. Open the lid and carefully set aside both the butternut squash and the beef roast.
• Turn the pressure cooker back on to saute on medium heat (with Instant Pot, press ‘Cancel’ to deactivate the keep-warm mode, then ‘Saute’ button to begin cooking at medium saute heat). In a small bowl, mix together a slurry of the cornstarch and water, and mix it into the cooking liquid. Allow the sauce to reduce, stirring frequently; when it reaches a pleasantly thickened gravy consistency, turn off the cooker and return the beef roast to the sauce.
• Meanwhile, scoop the cooked flesh of the butternut squash into a medium bowl. Add butter and salt, mixing to combine.
• To serve, use shallow bowls so the coffee gravy can be ladled over slices of pot roast and potatoes with the butternut mash. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley.