Beef Pot Roast with Gravy

My husband is a very meat-and-potatoes type of guy, so pot roast is right up his alley!  I tried many pot roast recipes (most ending in disappointment) before scrapping recipes and just throwing things together.  After trying different things, this is what I do now.

Beef Pot Roast
3 lb chuck roast (remember to get it on sale when it's under $2/lb!)
Salt
Pepper
Garlic powder
1 1/4 cup water
1/2 packet onion soup mix (save other 1/2 for gravy)
Onions, wedged
Potatoes, halved
Carrots, cut into sticks

Place onions in bottom of slow cooker.

Coat both sides of roast with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

Sear both sides of roast in a very hot skillet.

Place roast in slow cooker.  Deglaze your skillet by placing about 1/4 cup water in hot skillet.  Scrape the yummy bits the roast left behind; then pour into slow cooker.

Add additional cup of water to slow cooker, along with half of the onion soup packet.

Cover roast with desired amount of carrots and potatoes.

Cook on low 6-8 hours or high 3-4 hours (or until meat is tender).  Be careful not to overcook your roast, as that will lead to dry meat.

Gravy
2 cups juice from slow cooker
3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp flour
1/2 packet onion soup mix
Garlic powder
Salt and pepper, to taste
Beef bouillon (optional)

To make gravy, take 2 cups liquid from the slow cooker (if you have more liquid and want more gravy, use it and adjust recipe accordingly).

In a saucepan, melt butter; add flour and mix.

Cook over medium heat approximately 2 minutes.

Add juice from slow cooker and whisk until gravy has thickened.

Add onion soup mix and garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste.  If additional beef flavor is necessary, add beef bouillon to taste.  Serve immediately.

*Note: I like my gravy a little on the thick side, which is why I use 3 Tbsp butter and flour per 2 cups of liquid.  Typically it's 1 Tbsp butter/flour per 1 cup liquid, so if you don't like thick gravy, cut back on the butter and flour by 1 Tbsp each.