Mexican Pot Roast

3 tablespoons lard
3 pounds beef round steak
4 garlic buds, mashed
3 ripe tomatoes, unpeeled and chopped
3 potatoes, peeled and quartered
3 carrots, cut into chunks
2 onions, sliced thick
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
2 1/2 cups hot water

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat lard in a cast iron Dutch oven. Cut through the fatty round on the steak and brown it on both sides. Add remaining ingredients and water. Cover the Dutch oven and bake for about 1 1/2 hours.

To garnish, cut fresh jalape�os in half, scoop out the seeds, rinse and pat dry, then fill with cream cheese sprinkled with paprika or chile powder.