Roast Beast

This recipe has been a long time coming. I just haven’t yet taken good enough pictures to add to a post! That’s what happens when I cook the one red meat meal we eat only once or twice a year, and usually in the dark winter months. Thanks to a chat with a friend the other day (I’m looking at you, Justine), I decided to post it anyway, with the one picture I have. It’s such a killer recipe to share and I promise to add more photos the next time I make it.

The marinade is award winning but beyond that, I don’t know where I found it more than four years ago when I first started using it. The Yorkshire Pudding is the simple version my grandmother has always made but the rest I credit to Paxye who over the phone, has held my hand through most of my meat cooking moments.

I usually look for a top round or sirloin tip roast but I’ve read that the best choices usually involve cuts that have the bone in. I think the prices are much higher for those cuts though too.

Marinade

• 1/2 cup Tamari
• 1/2 cup Lemon Juice
• 1/2 cup Worcestershire Sauce
• 4-5 cloves Garlic
• 40 Peppercorns

1. Mix/blend together and put in a ziplock bag with the meat. Take out as much air as possible, refrigerate (I put the bag in a dish in case of leakage), turning bag around occasionally. Marinade for 24- 48 hours.

Roast Beast

1. To make a crust, in a small bowl blend together equal parts butter and dijon mustard until smooth. About a 1/4 cup each but adjust your amount to suit the size of your roast. Add a little salt and pepper. Add enough flour slowly to make a thick paste.
2. Put the roast fat side up on a rack. I use carrots and celery to make a rack for my roast to sit on.
3. Spread butter/dijon paste thickly over the top of the roast.
4. Cook for 10 minutes on 500’F and then turn down to 350’F until the internal temp of the roast is 135’F. It’s suggested that a 3 lb top round or 4lb sirloin tip will take about 1- 1 1/2 hours. Rest at least 15 minutes. Bake Yorkshire Pudding and start gravy while the roast is resting.

Yorkshire Pudding

You can start the batter earlier in the day and let it sit in the fridge until you need it. To make 8:

• 1 Egg
• 1 cup Milk (I use almond)
• 1 cup Flour
• pinch of Salt

1. Whisk egg and then add milk, flour and salt and whisk until creamy.
2. Brown about 1 tsp of butter in each cup of the muffin tin by putting it in a hot oven until the butter is smoking.
3. Take out of oven, pour in batter leaving 1/4- 1/2 inch space at top.
4. Bake 20 min on 350’F.

Gravy

1. While the roast is resting, strain the drippings from the roaster into a large measuring cup or bowl. (remove the carrot/celery rack first if you used one. If you like you can chop and serve the carrots and celery.)
2. Deglaze the roaster by pouring some hot water into it and scrape and loosen any drippings stuck to the pan. Add that to the drippings.
3. Make a roux by melting about 2 tbsp butter in a pot and whisking in about 2 tbsp of flour.
4. Whisk constantly as it thickens. It will start to brown and smell nutty.
5. Add drippings and scrapings and whisk.
6. Add about 1 cup of broth or water and keep whisking. Add more broth or water as needed. (You can also add any additional drippings from the roast)
7. Season with salt, pepper and optional additional seasonings like: 1 tsp of dijon mustard or use red wine instead of water and add rosemary.