Seeing 2020 out in style

New Year's Eve dinner

We had a great New Year’s Eve dinner tonight, but there’s a story behind it. We had roast beef. For weeks now, I’ve been campaigning for an oven roast. Christian makes roast frequently, but they are what I grew up knowing as pot roast. I was longing for one of my mom’s oven roasts. All I could remember about Mom’s roasts though was that she cut slits in the meat and stuck in garlic cloves. I had no idea what cut of meat she used. A lot of internet research didn’t leave me much smarter—there are, I decided, twenty names for any one cut of beef roast.

A week or so ago Jordan and I settled on a roast that looked doable. It called for an English roast. Nowhere else on the internet could I find any reference to an English roast. We chose a rump roast, which I know is not the most tender, but the selection at Central Market was either outrageously expensive tenderloin or a lesser cut.

The recipe specified to let the meat set at room temperature for at least half an hour, rub seasoning into all sides, sear on all sides in a hot skillet, and put under the broiler (5 inches under) with the oven door cracked for fifteen minutes for rare. Then let it sit and collect itself while you make the sauce of butter, red wine, and skillet drippings. Jordan protested it looked too complicated, and Christian would not be home with time or inclination to do it. I assured her I would do the prep, but she would have to take it inside to roast—the toaster oven was not going to do it.

As New Year’s Eve came closer there was more protestation. She finally decided though that all prep should be done in her kitchen, but I would have to be on hand for advice. As it turns out, both Christian and I were there, and she decided once she got into it, it wasn’t as complicated as she thought. A few tense moments when it appeared to be cooking too rapidly—you “roasted” it under the broiler, but five inches from the heating element and with the door left ajar. Meantime she was juggling boiled small Yukon Gold potatoes and asparagus. But all went smoothly. The roast rested, as it must to keep the juices, and she used red wine and butter to scrape up the browned bits out of the skillet and make a sauce.

The result was a roast that was, yes, a bit chewy but with absolutely marvelous flavor. The potatoes and asparagus were perfect, and it was a fit recipe for kicking out 2020 and looking forward to 2021.

Oven Roast

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

2-3 lb. boneless English roast

1 Tbsp. Kosher salt

1 tsp, ground black pepper

1tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp, onion powder

1 tsp dried thyme leaves

2 Tbsp. butter divided

¼ cup red wine

About an hour before you plan to cook it, set the meat out of the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature.

When you’re ready to cook, preheat the broiler. Move the oven rack to a place where the meat will be at least five inches or maybe more from the heating element.

Press the seasonings into all sides of the roast. In a cast-iron skillet, heat the vegetable oil to high heat and sear the meat on all sides, about four minutes per side.  Place the meat, still in the skillet, in the oven and leave the door ajar. Roast for 15 minutes for rare, 25 minutes for medium rare. Use a meat thermometer, which should come to 135^o for rare and 155^o for medium rare.

Remove the roast from the oven, set on a cutting board or similar safe place to rest, top with at least one Tbsp. of butter, and tent with foil. Meanwhile, add remaining butter to skillet along with red wine, and, over medium heat, scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pan.

Slice the meat thinly across the grain and pass the pan drippings with the meat. A treat for the tongue, though you may find a more suitable cut of meat than we did. Still it was a wonderful meal.

Sure, I know it’s still 2020 until midnight, but I seriously thought of this as a great way to toast out 2020, for all its pains and its few joys. To one and all, Happy New Year and may 2021 bring you peace, health, safety, joy, and lots of good food.