Double-duty ingredients: How 1 meal leads to another

The same pot roast can make three dinners for your family of four, as prepared in "Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Money Saving Meals" (Meredith, $19.95). One of Lee's strategies is to use specific brands.

DOWN-HOME POT ROAST

6 pounds beef chuck roast

2 cups red wine

1 cup olive oil and vinegar salad dressing (such as Newman's Own)

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 envelope (0.6 ounce) zesty Italian salad dressing mix

(Good Seasons)

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 brown or yellow onions, sliced

3 stalks celery, cut into 2-inch

pieces

4 cups lower-sodium beef broth

2 packets (1.5 ounces each)

meatloaf seasoning mix

(McCormick)

3 pounds baby Yukon gold

or fingerling potatoes, cut in half

1 pound baby carrots

Celery leaves (optional)

Place meat in a large zip-top plastic bag. In a medium bowl, whisk together wine, olive oil and vinegar salad dressing, Worcestershire sauce, and dry Italian salad dressing mix. Pour over meat in bag. Seal bag; turn to coat meat. Marinade in refrigerator 4 hours to overnight, turning bag occasionally.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Remove meat from marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Discard marinade. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add meat and brown on all sides. Place in roasting pan and set aside. Add onion and celery to same skillet; cook for 3 minutes. Stir in broth and meat-loaf seasoning; bring to a boil. Remove from heat and carefully pour over meat. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 2 hours. Remove roast from oven and add potatoes and carrots. Re-cover pan. Bake for 1 hour more. Remove roast, potatoes, and carrots from pan. Let meat stand for 5 minutes before slicing. Strain pan juices and set aside.

Slice meat against the grain. Serve meat with potatoes, carrots and strained pan juices. Garnish with celery leaves (optional). Makes 12 servings.

BEEFY ENCHILADAS

2 cans (15 ounces each)

red enchilada sauce (Las Palmas)

1 1/2 cups leftover beef pot roast, shredded

2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese

1/2 cup frozen chopped onions

1/2 cup sliced black olives

1/2 cup canned diced green chilies

12 corn tortillas

Canola oil

Chopped lettuce and tomatoes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Evenly coat the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce; set aside. Place beef pot roast, cheese, onions, olives and green chilies in separate small bowls. Set aside.

To soften tortillas, in a small skillet, heat a small amount of the canola oil over medium heat. Add tortillas, one at a time; fry for 5 seconds per side. Drain tortillas on paper towels.

To assemble enchiladas, dip a softened tortilla into sauce in pie plate. Put some of the beef, onions, olives and green chilies across center of the tortilla; sprinkle with some of the cheese. Roll up tightly; place, seam upside down, in prepared baking dish.

Repeat to make 12 enchiladas. Spread any sauce remaining in the pie plate over enchiladas; top with remaining cheese. Cover loosely with foil.

Bake in preheated oven for 40-45 minutes. Place the remaining enchilada sauce in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high about 2 minutes or until hot.

Serve sauce over hot enchiladas. Top with chopped lettuce and tomatoes. Makes 6 servings.

YANKEE 'DIP' SANDWICHES

2 cups leftover potatoes

1/4 cup ranch salad dressing

(Hidden Valley)

2 tablespoons butter

2 cups leftover beef jus

1 envelope (1.1 ounces) beefy onion soup mix

2 cups leftover beef pot roast, sliced

4 French rolls, split

Place potatoes in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover and microwave on high for 3-4 minutes or until hot. Add ranch dressing and butter; mash. Cover and set aside.

In a large skillet, stir together beef jus and dry onion soup mix. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add sliced roast and heat through. Spread bottom half of each roll with mashed potatoes. Using tongs, remove meat from jus; divide among sandwiches. Quickly dip top half of each roll in jus; place on top of sandwiches. Serve immediately with ramekins of extra jus on the side. Makes 4 sandwiches.