Thanks Rachel for this great new-to-me roasting method and fabulous sauce.
Let’s talk seasonings. Most recipes I come across are painfully shy on seasonings. As I read over the ingredients I’m almost always thinking, “Well, first I’ll need to double that garlic.”
A notable exception to that trend are Rachel Ray’s recipes. She knows how to punch up the flavor.
Three cloves of garlic? Yep, that’s more like it.
Sadly though, Rachel also likes to load on the butter, olive oil and heavy cream. I’m frequently needing to adjust those amounts so that I can enjoy a plate full without an overwhelming glass of guilt to go with it.
While searching for recipes for slow cooking beef roast, I found this totally intriguing recipe from Rachel Ray. The ingredients looked fantastic and I was so curious about the method of the cooking…high heat in a cast-iron skillet in the oven for 1/2 hour and then just turn the oven off and let it sit for 2 1/2 hours. Really?
I took a leap of faith. Well, mostly. After about an hour I couldn’t stand it and set my oven to 175ºF just to make sure it didn’t lose all of its heat. And, if you believe my oven’s thermostat, it had indeed dipped down to 165ºF so I was glad I checked.
That little paranoia aside, I am thrilled with the results and finally achieved the perfectly cooked roast. And then, of course, the sauce was amazing. Rachel Ray rocks the sauces.
I did tame down Rachel’s zest for fat. I skipped some butter and reduced the olive oil in my version. I also used fat-free chicken broth for the sauce instead of beef broth.
This was one of those meals where the first to the fridge in the morning, got to claim the leftovers for lunch. Usually I can count on Brian to forget. Not this time. He must’ve been dreaming about it all night. And, he gloated just a little bit about his amazing lunch. Sigh.
Ingredients List
- About 3 1/2 to 4 pounds boneless beef round roast
- 4 carrots, cut lengthwise in half
- 4 celery stalks, cut on a bias in thirds
- 2 onions, quartered with root end attached
- 1 pound baby Yukon potatoes
- 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- Montreal Steak Seasoning
Sauce Ingredient List
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 shallots, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp rosemary, chopped
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup non-fat chicken stock
Method
Remove roast from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature (1/2 hour to 45 minutes).
Place oven rack in the middle position. Preheat oven to 500ºF.
Put carrots, celery, onions, and potatoes in large, cast-iron skillet and toss with 2 Tbsp olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.
Season the roast evenly with Montreal steak seasoning. Place roast in the skillet, fat side up, on top of the veggies. Drizzle with 2 Tbsp of olive oil.
For a 3 to 4* pound round roast, roast meat for 30 minutes; turn the oven down to 175ºF and LEAVE THE DOOR CLOSED. Let the meat rest in oven for 2 1/2 hours.
After the time has completed, remove it from the oven and let it rest on a carving board while you prepare the sauce. I also put a lid on the skillet and kept the veggies and potatoes warm over low heat while I prepared the sauce.
In a small sauce pan, heat 2 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add shallots, garlic and rosemary, finely chopped. Season with salt and pepper and stir for 2-3 minutes.
Add 2 tablespoons tomato paste and stir. Then sprinkle 3 tablespoons of flour into the pan and stir a minute more.
Deglaze the pan with 1/2 cup of dry white wine. Add in chicken stock. Simmer for 5 minutes.
To serve slice the roast against the grain and serve with veggies and sauce.
*For larger roasts, roast about 7 minutes per pound at 500ºF and let the meat rest for 2 1/2 hours, if you want rare to medium-rare in doneness; 10 minutes per pound for medium to medium-well in doneness.
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