I needed a last minute recipe for a shoulder roast I had and I stumbled on this recipe. I have to admit, I was a little skeptical, but this dish is fantastic! All the flavors mix together perfectly. And the best part, is that it's not an overly heavy dish. Both my husband and 18 month old loved it as well! It's now in my recipe box and I'll definitely be making this again! Thanks for a great recipe!

This was fantastic. I am a typical foodie and have never met a pot roast I liked. I was trying to find something homey to make. This recipe was rich, fresh and decadent. I used fresh sweet potatoes rather than canned and added crushed red pepper for zing. The meat I used was lean so I just cooked and served it- I didn't do the steps after cooking it with the cornstarch etc.

I have to say this dish is delicious! I substituted the canned sweet potatoes for real ones and basil for the thyme. It is so yummy. Sweet yet savory. Will definitely make it again. Oh yeah, I only needed to cook it for 5 hours. Otherwise, it would have been mush. Its like a hearty stew. Really good.

Family loves it! The gravy is great.

The flavors were great, but leaving it in the crockpot for 8 hours is WAY too long. The apples and potatoes were complete mush. Definitely limit the amount of time to perhaps 4 hours max.

Julia, I've found the settings of some of the more recently made slow cookers are different than the past.. Some of them actually BOIL on low! If you're stuck using a new slow cooker, try a model which has a temperature probe attachment! If your unit boils on LOW, junk it!!

I liked it, but my boyfriend thought it a bit too sweet. If you haven't used a crock pot before, it's a great starter recipe because it's easy. I bought stew cubes, so I did minimal trimming of fat and didn't have to skim anything. You do have to take all the meat and veggies out of the pot to thicken the sauce, though, because if you don't the potatoes & apples will mush when stirring. I made some egg noodles to pour the stew over. I would have liked more sauce; next time I'll add more broth. I thickened it with flour instead of cornstarch. As I said, GREAT STARTER RECIPE FOR YOUR CROCK!

A great dish, but I added a small bag of frozen corn served with biscuits, it was a hit at our house! Thank you! Next time I will use a rump roast though just because they tend to give off more flavor! Thanks again! Chef Aspen!

I read the reviews and thought they sounded wonderful for this slow cooker recipe. I must admit...this turned out to be the worst meal I've prepared in a very long time!! It was just awful. Didn't cook it too long, it just all seemed to soften all together into this kind of stew.
Followed instruction, it looked great while it was cooking and smelled good too but the end result was bad.

For flavor, sear the meat and caramelize the onions in a fry pan before putting in the slow cooker.
To prevent soggy potatoes and apples, ADD LATER. (I would rather use fresh than canned anything.) You want to cook the meat first.

Newbies: Slow cookers need to be at least half full to be most effective. Many recommend about two-thirds full. Remember to keep the lid on - Do NOT keep opening.

Not a bad base, but needs more vegetables.

This is something I will try in next couple of days. Per the reviews about mushy apples/sweet potatoes. Think I will add these about 1/2 way through cooking time. This should make it about right. Sounds great.

Thank you for the recipe. I used it for a church potluck and everyone enjoyed it. I plan to use it again in the future.

My family loved it. I added 1/4 tsp of all spice, 2 beef bouillon cubes, stewing beef, 2 tbsp salt, 3 garlic cloves, one apple and 2 fresh sweet potatoes,no thyme (didn't have it). Everything else the same. I boiled my meet (didn't use the crock pot) with my spices for 1 hour and added the apples and sweet potatoes for 30 minutes and let simmer for about 10 minutes.

The flavor was great but it did not look very appetizing. I used fresh sweet potatoes and after 8 hours in the slow cooker, they became mashed potatoes when I removed them to thicken the sauce.

This meal was easy to make and it was a hit with my family. AAA sooooooo good.

I made something similar to this, but used a can of berried cranberry sauce instead of the apples. It was very good, but a little TOO sweet. I am NOT a fan of sweet potatoes, but it was good!