Archives for posts with tag: roast beef

Roast Beef with Potatoes and Shallots
Roast Beef_Web
Since I had never made roast beef before I relied on some of my ladies – Martha and my Mom – for help. The basic recipe comes from my Mom, who makes a delicious roast beef, and the idea for the potatoes and shallots comes from Martha Stewart. It is definitely a weekend meal, since there is an extra step – I parboiled the potatoes – so it takes a bit longer to prepare than my usual recipes, but it is totally doable on a Saturday or Sunday night. 

red or Yukon gold potatoes – 1 lb., peeled and cut into quarters
shallots – 8, peeled, trimmed and halved
eye of round roast beef – 1 1/2 lb.
olive oil – 2 TB.
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a medium-to-large saucepan add the potatoes and pour enough water over them to cover them by about an inch. Place over high heat and bring to a boil. Once they boil, turn down the heat and let the potatoes simmer until a knife can slightly slip into them. Drain and set aside.

Toss parboiled potatoes and shallots in a baking pan with olive oil and salt and pepper. Push the vegetables to the side and add the roast beef. Turn the roast so that all sides are covered in the oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 10 minutes at 425 degrees and then turn the heat down to 325 degrees for another 25-30 minutes, depending on how you like your meat (25 min. for medium-rare, 30 min. for medium). Remove the roast from the oven and let it sit for another 10-15 minutes with foil lightly covering it on a cutting board. While the roast is resting you can throw your vegetables back in the oven to brown a bit more, or at least stay warm.

Carve the roast beef and serve with vegetables.

Steamed Green Beans
1 lb. green beans, trimmed and halved if very long
1 Tb. butter
salt and pepper

Over medium-high heat, place beans in a steamer basket set in a pot with enough water to almost touch the beans, cover. It should take between 5-10 minutes for the water to come to a boil and steam the green beans until they are tender, but keep an eye on them so they don’t overcook and become limp. Remove from basket and toss with butter, salt and pepper.

 

What do you crave? Even though I am more of a savory rather than sweet kind of gal, my cravings tend to be for sugar. When I have an itch that needs to be scratched it is usually for a cookie, or ice cream, or chocolate. This was only magnified when I was pregnant with Eliza. Of course, then I was fine with it because I figured if I wasn’t going to drink I could at least have dessert! For the non-pregnant times of my life I often try to distract myself away from an oatmeal cookie the size of my head toward perhaps a small piece of dark chocolate. Sometimes it works, but other times it doesn’t… Cravings are kind of like a piece of clothing or pair of shoes that you’ve been coveting. If it sticks with you and you can’t get it out of your head you must really want it and you should give in. You’ll probably be glad that you did.

macarons_Midgley_flickr
Photo by Midgley/CC by 2.0

So, where am I going with all of this? Well, this week I had a craving for something totally random – roast beef. Weird, I know. I have no idea why, but I really wanted roast beef and kept thinking about it for days. Maybe I needed more iron? Funny enough, I’ve never made it before, so this past Sunday I took the leap. I’m glad I did – the recipe link is below. With that need taken care of I feel better already…

Meal #1: Roast Beef with Potatoes and Shallots + Steamed Green Beans
Meal #2: Spicy Peanut Chicken and Broccoli + Rice
Meal #3: Beer-Marinated Pork Tenderloin with Red Cabbage
Meal #4: Baked Fish with Tomatoes and Olives + Kale Caesar Salad

Your grocery list, excluding the usual pantry items:

red or Yukon gold potatoes – 1 1/2 lb.
shallots – 8
green beans – 1 1/2 lb.
broccoli – 1 large head
red cabbage – 1 medium head
apple – 1
plum tomatoes – 8
lemon – 2
tuscan kale – 1 large bunch
dried bay leaf (if you don’t already have it)
soy sauce (if you don’t already have it)
brown sugar (if you don’t already have it)
smooth peanut butter (if you don’t already have it)
sesame oil (if you don’t already have it)
rice vinegar (if you don’t already have it)
apple cider vinegar (if you don’t already have it)
Sriracha (if you don’t already have it)
kalamata olives – 1/4 cup (if you don’t already have it)
Parmesan cheese (if you don’t already have it)
rice – 1 box or bag
eye of round roast beef – 1 1/2 lb
skinless chicken thighs – 4
pork tenderloins – 2 (1 1/2-1 3/4 pounds total)
white fish fillets – 6 ounces per person
beer  – 1 can or bottle