A Good Roast Beef

With Gravy

With the holidays ‘a coming we all want to do something hearty and protein rich with which to warm friends and family . Unfortunately, with employment opportunities in the dumpster for anyone born after 1980, buying a roast beef can seem like a BIG expense for something you’re only going to enjoy once.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

A roast can be a great investment if you’re frugal and willing to learn how to stretch it. With a few clever tricks, you can use a roast for over 3 meals instead of just the big one. I’m ready and willing to show you how.

But first, you need to learn how to make a roast beef.

The trick a moist, tasty roast is patience and a good gravy.

Here’s How You Do It

Difficulty Level: Medium -Easy

Prep  time: 15 Minutes

RoastingTime: 60 to 90 minutes or more depending on the size of your roast

Serves 4 to 12 depending on the size of the roast you get and the number of side dishes you serve with it

Ingredients

1 Rib Roast of Beef - I’m not specifying a size here because I’m going to give guidelines that you can tweak based on how big a roast you get. A three and a half pound beef roast will serve 4 people. Add a half pound for every meat eater you’ll be serving to estimate the size you’ll need. To save even more money, buy when it’s on sale and freeze. It will keep in the freezer for up to three months and you can thaw it out in the fridge three  or four days before you need to cook it.

Salt and Pepper OR Montreal Steak Spice – I prefer the latter as it has more dimension in flavor, but salt and pepper is easier to come by.

Vegetable Oil

GRAVY

Yields about 2 ½ Cups of Gravy

2 Cups Beef Broth

1 Cup Red Wine

1 Teaspoon of Worcestshire Sauce

1 Tablespoon of Soy Sauce

1 Teaspoon of Red Wine or Balsamic Vinegar

½ Teaspoon of Dijon Mustard

1 Tablespoon of Canned Cranberry Sauce (Optional) – It adds wonderful sweetness and depth, but it’s not necessary

Salt – To Taste

1 Tablespoon of Softened Butter Mashed Together with 1 ½ Tablespoons of All Purpose Flour

Equipment

Measuring Cups and Spoons

1 Whisk

1 Frying Pan

1 Baking Dish

1 Pair of Tongs

1 Small Mixing Bowl

1 Large Cutting Board

Kitchen scale – You can get one of these for as little as 10 bucks.

1 Serrated Knife

ROAST

Weigh your roast as its weight will determine the roasting time.

Preheat the oven to 350 ^oF.

In the small mixing bowl, combine the vegetable oil and salt and pepper.

Rub it all over the meat.

Heat your flying pan on high and brown the roast on all sides, turning it once one side is brown using your trusty tongs.

Put the roast in your baking pan and pop it in the oven. Set the frying pan aside but don’t wash it yet. You’ll need it to make your gravy.

For a Rare roast beef, roast it 15 minutes for every pound of meat you have. For Medium Rare, 20 minutes per pound. For Medium, 25 minutes, per pound, and if you like it well done, 30 minutes per pound.

Once your roast is done, take it out of the oven put it on a cutting board to rest for 15 minutes. DO NOT CUT INTO IT! Cutting the meat before it has rested will dry it out!

Instead, use the time to make your gravy.

Dump the beef stock and wine in your baking pan and whisk it, making sure to scrap all the brown bits that came off the meat from the bottom of the pan.

Pour everything into the frying pan you used earlier and put the heat on medium-high.

Add the Soy Sauce, Worcestershire Sauce, Vinegar, Cranberry Sauce (if using) and Dijon mustard and whisk to break up the cranberry (it’s a bit gelatinous and needs some work) and evenly combine everything.

Bring to a boil and simmer until the liquid has reduced by a third (about 10 or 15 minutes).

Whisk in the butter and flour mixture, a little at a time until the gravy is thick enough for you.

Salt the gravy to your taste and pour into your desired serving vessel – a coffee mug and a spoon will work fine for this if you don’t have a gravy boat.

When the meat has rested long enough, carve it against the grain of the meat using a serrated knife and serve!

Wrap up the bones and any leftovers  and put them in the fridge. Stay tuned for next time when I’ll show you how to transform them into amazing meals!

 Enjoy!

-Samantha R. Gold

Questions? Comments? Requests?

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I can be reached at:  for.the.culinarily.challenged@gmail.com

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