Braised Pot Roast with fennel & pearl onions

Recipe
Fennel & Onion Braised Pot Roast (adapted from Giada):
Ingredients
Herb rub:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp each ground rosemary and thyme
2 (2.5-pound) boneless beef chuck roast
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 pound (about 2 cups) pearl onions, peeled
3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped into 3/4-inch pieces
2 medium fennel bulbs, sliced into 1/2-inch pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 cloves garlic, crushed
1 cup dry sherry
4 cups low-sodium beef broth, plus extra, as needed
2 fresh bay leaves
1 lb of mushrooms
1/2 lb of cipollinis

Directions
For the rub: In a small bowl, mix together the rosemary, thyme, oil, salt, and pepper until smooth.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Pat the beef dry with paper towels and rub on all sides with the herb rub. In a heavy Le Creuset pot, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. Add the beef and  brown on both sides, about 12 minutes. Remove the beef and set aside.

Add the remaining oil, onions, carrots, and fennel to the pot. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute until aromatic. Add the sherry and scrape up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan. Stir in the broth and bay leaves. Return the beef and any juices to the pot and bring the liquids to a boil. Cover the pot and transfer to the oven. Cook for 2 hours.  Remove from oven and take the beef out and set aside.  Remove the bay leaves and discard. Using an immersion blender, blend the vegetables and cooking juices together until smooth.  Return the beef to the pot and finish cooking for another 2 hours, until the beef is fork-tender (mine was just falling apart it was so tender).  Note, add extra broth if the beef is not halfway covered in liquid when you return it to the oven.

After taking out of the oven, tilt the lid partial askew and let meat stand in the juices for 10 – 15 minutes.

Serve in chunks of beef and spoon some of the sauce over the meat and serve the remaining sauce on the side.