The Savory, Classic Comfort Food Robin Williams Loved

Robin Williams was certainly a master actor and comedian, but when it came to cooking, he was no expert. His wife admitted as much when she said that cold cereal and coffee were just about the only things William's "cooked." Perhaps this is why the late actor had a personal chef. Among the dishes his chef, John Mathias, created for him, pot roast with caramelized onion gravy was reportedly the actor's favorite.

His recipe was featured in a 2004 cookbook called "Star Palate: Celebrity Cookbook for a Cure" by Tami Agassi and Kathy Casey. The book was created and published to raise proceeds for ovarian and breast cancer research, and included almost 80 recipes submitted by well-known entertainers, athletes, and chefs like Williams, Celine Dion, Phil Mickelson (who happens to be a major franchisor of Five Guys), Venus Williams, Tim McGraw, Thomas Keller, Britney Spears, and Bill Gates.

Mathias created the pot roast with caramelized onion gravy himself. When he served it to Williams, he often served the flavorful meat and gravy with roasted root veggies (cut the tops off for correct storage), buttered noodles, or mashed potatoes.

When Robin Williams' fans think of him preparing or eating food, their minds likely go to a couple of iconic moments. There's the hilarious scene of him playing one of his most famous characters, Mrs. Doubtfire, scurrying around the kitchen boiling, frying, and ultimately setting himself on fire. And who can forget the memorable banquet scene of "Hook" where Williams (as Peter Pan) imagines a table full of goodness into fruition, which then turns into a food fight? Of course, off-stage the legendary comedian would let his personal chef take control of the kitchen when preparing the pot roast Williams loved.

The recipe Williams loved involves browning a 5-pound chuck roast in a Dutch oven on the stove top. Once the meat is seared on all sides and set aside, onions are added to the pot to caramelize along with wine, broth, and aromatics. The meat is then added back into the pot and everything is braised in the oven for a few hours until the meat shreds easily with a fork. The gravy is then strained and thickened with a flour-based slurry. Warm, inviting, and incredibly flavorful, it's no wonder Williams requested this dish when he was in the mood for comfort food. While there are a thousand ways to prepare classic pot roast, there are a dozen ways to make the dish more flavorful.