Roast Beef

Every year when I start planning Christmas dinner, I always struggle with what meat to serve. I don't want turkey again, because I just had it at Thanksgiving and have some stored in the freezer to use later. I am not sold on the idea of ham, since that is what we have at Easter, but I usually end up going the ham route. 

So, I decided that I was going to try a new meat. In my search I came across a recipe for roast beef that made it seem so easy and simple to make. I do like roast beef and I know my husband does as well. As for my girls, I do not think they have ever had it. So roast beef it was. 

This recipe is really simple and the roast beef turned out delicious. I like my meat a little less pink so I cooked it a bit longer, but you can cook it to your liking, by watching the temperature. The only downside to this recipe is that my girls were not 100% on board with roast beef. They didn't hate it, but did not love it like my husband and I did. I guess back to the drawing board for a Christmas meat. 

Roast Beef

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 pounds boneless rump roast OR round roast
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2-3 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup reduced sodium beef stock
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375º F. Place a roasting rack into a roasting pan.
2. Make 8-10 small slits, about 1/4-1/2 inch deep, around the meat. Insert 1 slice of garlic into each slit. Place the roast, fat side up, on the roasting rack in the pan. Pour the water and beef broth into the roasting pan, do not pour over the meat, you just want to very lightly cover the bottom of the pan with liquid.
3. Rub the roast with olive oil until coated. Sprinkle with black pepper, thyme, basil, tarragon and rosemary. Using your hands, spread the seasonings over the roast. Stick an oven safe meat thermometer into the deepest thickest part of the roast.
4. Place the roasting pan in the oven and cook for 45 minutes or until the meat thermometer reaches 125º F. During that time, do not open the oven.
5. After the roast reaches 125º F, reduce the oven temperature to 250º F and cook for an additional 10-20 minutes or until the thermometer reaches at least 135º F. Remove the roast from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes. During this time the roast temperature will rise to 145º F. If you want your roast a little bit less pink cook longer in the oven keeping in mind it will rise an additional 10º F while resting.
6. Remove the garlic slices and slice the roast thinly across the grain.

Enjoy!!!

Notes:

If you do not have a roasting rack you use tin foil and bunch it up into long strips and set the meat on that. You just do not want the meat sitting on the bottom of the pan while cooking.

Nutrition Facts
Serves: 5
Amount Per Serving
Calories 338
Total Fat		12.3g
Saturated Fat		3.3g
Polyunsaturated Fat		0g
Monounsaturated Fat		0g
Trans Fat		0g
Cholesterol		120g
Sodium		2,200.7g
Potassium		22.1g
Total Carbohydrates		0.8g
Dietary Fiber		0.4g
Sugars		0.1g
Protein		51g
Vitamin A 0.58% Vitamin C 0.86%
Calcium 1.54% Iron 3.6%
*Nutritional information will vary depending on the brands you use.

*Adapted from A Sweet Pea Chef.