Slow Roasted Beef

In thinking what I would make for dinner tonight, I rummaged once again through the freezer, and a couple of days ago I discovered the roast I had put away. I will be slow roasting this and will also feature roasted potatoes, carrots and parsnips to accompany this dish. Slow roasting of the meat will keep the “pink” color of the meat from side to side, and any leftovers will make great roast beef sandwiches. So let’s head off to the kitchen!

Ingredients
1 – 3 1/2# beef roast
Fresh ground salt and pepper
1 tsp each of rosemary, thyme and basil
4 cloves of garlic, peeled
Extra virgin olive oil
2 Yukon gold potatoes
A good handful of baby carrots
2 medium sized parsnips

Allow four hours for this to cook. Take the roast out of the refrigerator and let it warm up. If there is a nice layer of fat on the meat, score it.

Score the fat

While it is warming up rub with the fresh ground salt and pepper. Using a mortar and pestle, crush the herbs one at a time. Then combine in a bowl to blend evenly. Rub this on all sides of the roast. Slice the garlic into thin slices, and cut into the meat and insert the slices of garlic. Next using a slight bit of olive oil, rub this over the meat.

Rubbed with herbs and oil

Once the roast has sat out for about an hour or so, turn the heat up on your oven to 200 degrees. While this is heating up, get your pan ready, and include a roasting rack to set the roast on. When the oven is ready, place this in the oven on the 2nd rack from the bottom. Set the timer for four hours. Do not open the oven!

About an hour and a half before the roast is done get your vegetables ready. Although I really love veges cooked around the meat, for this recipe, you will have to cook these separately. I cut the potatoes into chunks, left the already peeled baby carrots whole, and the peeled the parsnips, and cut those into chunks too. Then I used about 1 tsp of rosemary, and parsley, a couple of dashes of onion powder, and 3 twists on the salt and pepper grinders. Then I used about 2 TBS of extra virgin olive oil. Using my hands I mixed it up.

Potatoes, carrots and parsnips

Set these aside. There are a couple of steps that you will need to do with the roast, so at the 50 minutes before the timer goes off, preheat the oven for the vegetables to 375 degrees. Place those in the oven. Stir these periodically during roasting.

Roasting vegetables

When the timer goes off for the meat, remove it from the oven and cover it with foil.

Before hitting it with high heat

Then turn the oven up to 500 degrees. When the oven is hot, place the roast back into the oven and cook for 5 minutes. Check the internal temperature at this point. I cooked this to medium rare and pulled this out of the oven when the temperature hit 132 degrees. Remove from the oven and cover with foil. The temperature will go up as the meat rests.

Let the roast sit

After about 10 minutes the veges should be done, and the meat ready to carve.

Slice up the meat - see the garlic?

Plate it up with your veges, and use some of the juices to pour over the meat.

Dinner is served!

Stay tuned as I will be fixing up Steve’s Baked Tilapia tomorrow!

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The Unappreciated Parsnip

My first experience with this amazing root vegetable was in a Matzoh Ball soup that my grandmother made. It has a unique flavor that is a bit sweet, a bit buttery, and spicy! The grocery stores in the Foothills, and even when we lived in the SF Bay Area, do not give much space to this lovely vegetable, which lends to it being an unappreciated vegetable!

Parsnips at Kroger - Photo from Wikipedia

The parsnip is related to the carrot. Actually in Roman times, when carrots were white, it was difficult for pickers to distinguish the parsnip from the carrot! This vegetable was considered a luxury for Roman aristocracy.

Parsnips - Photo from Mariquita Farms

The parsnip adds a unique flavor when added to soups. It can be roasted, and is great mixed with other vegetables like carrots and potatoes. When cooking with the parsnip, peel the vegetable before using. The parsnip has a tendency, like potatoes, to brown, so unless you will be using them quickly, soak them in water with a bit of lemon juice added. Herbs that compliment the parsnip are dill weed, basil, thyme and tarragon.

Roasted parsnips, carrots and potatoes - Photo from JamieOliver..com

The parsnip is also really good for you! It is rich in potassium and is also a good source of fiber! Vitamin C, K, and folate can be found in this vegetable. It is good for helping to reduce cholesterol and it helps lower the risk of high blood pressure!

Gotta dash now as I am thinking of making something yummy with this vege! Hmmm…maybe parsnip oven fries? What do you do with parsnips?

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