Herbed Roast Beef - New Recipe #2

This weeks recipe comes from the show Best Recipes Ever. It's on CBC (a Canadian channel) so I'm thinking it doesn't run in the U.S. but the internet is a marvelous thing so here's a link to the recipe from the Best Recipes Ever site.

I give this recipe 1.75 thumbs up but it's not really it's fault, it's not my fault either though....okay maybe a little. The recipe itself is really easy and really yummy and this is by far the best roast I have ever made, EVER! The reason it doesn't get a full 2 thumbs up is simply because the roast itself was a bit tough due simply to the one I picked. I'd probably try a different cut next time or be more selective in choosing the Sirloin Tip Oven Roast suggested in the recipe. With that said, on to the good part!

The ingredients....don't they look pretty!

Herbed Roast Beef

(4 servings)

1 tbsp (15 mL) balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp (15 mL) vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp (2 mL) dried thyme
1/2 tsp (2 mL) dried oregano
1/2 tsp (2 mL) grated lemon rind
1/2 tsp (2 mL) cracked peppercorns
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
3 lb (1.4 kg) Sirloin tip oven roast
1/4 cup (50 mL) all-purpose flour
2-1/2 cups (625 mL) beef stock
2 tbsp (25 mL) tomato paste

* In small bowl, combine vinegar, oil, garlic, thyme, oregano, lemon rind, peppercorns and salt; rub all over roast. This is always my favourite part. I'm not really sure why.

* Place on rack in roasting pan; add 1-1/2 cups (375 mL) water to pan. Roast in 500°F (260°C) oven for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 275°F (140°C); roast until thermometer inserted in centre registers 150°F (65°C) for medium-rare, about 1-1/4 hours. It doesn't actually say this in the recipe but when I watched the episode that this recipe was on the reason you start out at such a high temperature is so that the roast will get a nice carmelized crust on it. I have to admit this didn't happen with my roast but either way it cooked really well so I'll keep following the temperature recommendations. : ) Also I highly recommend that you use a meat thermometer for this recipe as it ended up being done a half hour early. More on this below.

* Transfer roast to cutting board; tent with foil and let stand for 10 minutes before thinly slicing. Be aware that the roast juices ran everywhere!

* Meanwhile, skim off any fat from pan juices. Sprinkle with flour; cook over medium heat, whisking, for 1 minute. Whisk in stock and tomato paste; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened, about 3 minutes. So adding the flour to the pan juices seemed a bit weird and made my gravy a wee bit lumpy no matter how much whisking I did but it still tasted super yum. The tomato paste seemed strange too but again it was yum! Definitely on the thick side though and I don't know if that's because I let it simmer too long or if it's just a thick gravy.

Here's my lovely roast all rubbed up!

Left - my meat thermometer. The thermometer itself sits on the counter but has a cord attached to it that goes into the oven and a metal piece at the end is inserted into the meat. Awesome! I've only used it once for this recipe but it worked great and without it we would have had a very tough roast as it reached the correct temperature half an hour before the time given in the recipe.

Middle - super thick but tasty gravy.

Right - the roast was very tired and needed a rest, blanket and all. ; )

Yum, yum, yum! We like our roasts a little on the rare side but we followed the recipe and this is what we got so if you like your roasts cooked a bit more you'll just need to keep it in the oven a bit more.

If you try this recipe out please let me know. I honestly can't say that I'll make this exact recipe again but it was good and I will be making other roast recipes so if this one ends up being our favourite when it's all said and done then I'll be back.