Sliced Cold Pot Roast

This is a planned second appearance for Monday's pot roast rather than a dish cooked from scratch, so most of the work is in the slicing and the handling of the cooked meat.

• Storing the roastCool the meat quickly after Monday's dinner and refrigerate it whole rather than pre-sliced; a solid piece dries out far less. Cooked beef keeps three to four days at 40F or below, which sets the limit on how far into the week the leftover can be planned.
• Slice it truly coldStraight from the refrigerator the meat is firm enough to take thin, clean slices. A warm or room-temperature pot roast shreds under the knife, particularly in coarse-fibred cuts such as chuck.
• Across the grainFind the direction of the muscle fibres and cut at right angles to them. Pot roast cuts are collagen-rich and long-fibred, and slicing with the grain gives stringy mouthfuls no matter how tender the braise was.
• ThicknessAbout 1/8 inch is right for a cold platter. Thicker slices eat heavy without the hot gravy that carried them the first night.
• The beetsThe recipe assumes pickled beets already on hand, presumably put up at home; a drained jar of commercial pickled beets will serve. Drain them well or the brine bleeds pink across the sliced meat on the platter.
• What is missing from the platterCold braised beef is served here unsauced. Set out horseradish, a mustard, or a little of the pan liquor from the roast, which may set to a jelly in the refrigerator and can then be chopped and scattered over the slices.