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Two area country clubs made the cut to be included in the lush new book, "The Club Menu: Signature Dishes From America's Premier Golf Clubs" by Scott Savlov and Jon Rizzi (Pindar Press, 2009, $50). Oakmont Country Club gets a chapter and two recipes, and Latrobe Country Club is in there, too, with this recipe from the Palmer family -- as in Arnold Palmer, whose brother, Jerry, is the club's longtime general manager. This recipe is regularly made -- especially in fall and winter, for Sunday dinner -- under the direction of executive chef Bill Sirianni who doesn't use celery because, well, Mr. (Arnold) Palmer, who just celebrated his 80th birthday and received a Congressional Gold Medal, doesn't like it.

I loved the parsnips. I used about a quarter of the bacon grease and half the butter, because I didn't want to -- well, die.

Jerry Palmer chuckles. That's comfort food as his mom cooked it. "With a little exercise program," he said, "you can still enjoy it."

-- Bob Batz Jr.

• 3 to 4 pounds chuck roast
• 1 cup bacon grease
• 1 cup flour
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 quart canned beef stock
• 6 peeled carrots, cut into pieces on bias
• 3 peeled Spanish onions, quartered
• 6 peeled parsnips, cut in half on bias
• 6 peeled white potatoes, quartered
• 8 ounces butter
• For the gravy
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons roasted garlic
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• Extra fresh thyme sprigs for garnish

Brown chuck roast in bacon grease after seasoning it with salt and pepper and dredging in flour. Transfer roast into roasting pan. Cover with beef stock. Braise at 350 degrees until tender, covered, about 2 hours.

In a separate pan, roast vegetables and potatoes with butter until vegetables and potatoes are tender (about 45 minutes). Drain vegetables and potatoes and set aside, keeping them warm.

Remove chuck from beef stock (keep warm). To make gravy, bring beef stock to a boil and add tomato paste, bay leaf, roasted garlic and fresh thyme sprig. Salt and pepper to taste. Let stock simmer about 30 minutes until flavors develop. Thicken with a roux of 1 part bacon grease and 1 part flour. Cook, stirring constantly, until flour is cooked off, about 10 minutes. After gravy is thickened, strain.

Portion on each plate 4 to 5 ounces of sliced pot chuck roast, 1 potato, 1/2 onion, 1 parsnip and 1 carrot. Serve with gravy. Garnish plates with sprigs of fresh thyme.

Serves 6.

-- from Chef Bill Sirianni in "The Club Menu: Signature Dishes From America's Premier Golf Clubs" by Scott Savlov and Jon Rizzi (Pindar Press, 2009, $50)

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