Roast Beef

A beautiful Angus round roast was marked down to clear, so I cleared it!  I wanted an easy to prepare meal so I paired it with frozen peas, fresh carrots and mashed potatoes.  I even managed to scrape out a little gravy.  It would take almost 2 hours to cook this roast at 250ºF so I got going right away. I seasoned it with the last of my 

Beef Rub

1  1/4  tablespoons paprika

1   tablespoon kosher salt

1   teaspoon garlic powder

1/2   teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2   teaspoon onion powder

1/2   teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

1/2   teaspoon dried oregano

1/2   teaspoon dried thyme

then seared it all round in a frying pan before putting it on a roasting rack in the oven. I timed the vegetables so the roast would rest under foil for 20-30 minutes.  If a roast of any type is sliced open when it's hot from the oven, all the moisture will escape as steam and the meat will be dry. Let it rest under foil for a while and the moisture stays put.

I did the peas and carrots in the microwave in chicken stock then finished them with xv olive oil.  Mashed potatoes with butter and milk.  The gravy was made in the roasting pan by adding a tablespoon of flour and extra oil to make a paste.  Cook the flour taste off then add beef stock or chicken if it's all there is. I had to use chicken stock this time but since I had pan drippings to work with I managed to make it work.  I added a quarter cup red wine, a few drops of Worcestershire sauce, black pepper and a pinch of salt.  I cooked the wine for a while then tasted it. The flavor was a little weak because of the chicken stock.  I decided to add some protein in the form of homemade yogurt, a heaping tablespoon more or less.  It worked, the acid raised the flavor and milk solids lent the body.  The only problem was  the milk solids tend to leave small lumps so to impress anyone the gravy needs to be blended.  At home I worry mostly about taste so I served it lumpy and Fern didn't seem to notice.  The condiment is creamed horseradish.

The meal was wonderful, much better than I set out to make. Just doing things the right way turns out good food. The secret is knowing the right way and applying that knowledge without thinking.