Roasts make me nervous.
I’m always afraid of overcooking or undercooking them, and I’m terrified
I’m going to end up with a dried up piece of jerky. I know, that totally makes it sound like I
don’t know how to properly cook a roast.
I do, but it’s a stressful process for me because I am a bit of a
perfectionist in the kitchen.
Needless to say, when it came time to attempt this next
recipe, I was a little intimidated. I
didn’t read any reviews on it. I
honestly had clue how it was going to turn out.
I was even more intimidated when I got to the grocery store and saw the
price tag on the roast. The ingredients
for this recipe can be pricey depending on the season and where you live. I assure you though; this recipe will produce
an amazingly moist and tasty roast.
In addition to the salad in my previous post, I served the
roast with a side of the roast leeks and carrots, a hard roll, and Onions in
Gravy. You can find the recipe for the
Onions and Gravy below the recipe for the roast.
Aurochs Roasted with Leeks
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| 1 hour of cook time will produce an amazing medium rare roast |
3lbs Top Round Beef
6 Leeks (white and light green parts only), sliced ¼ in
thick
4 Carrots cut into ¼ in thick slices
1 Head of Garlic (break into individual cloves and peel)
A small bunch of rosemary and thyme
Olive Oil
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper
Beef Stock
*Medieval Black Pepper Sauce (see below for recipe)
Preheat oven to 400*F, and remove beef from the fridge 30
minutes prior to cooking. Place
vegetables, garlic, and herbs in a roast pan and toss with a bit of olive
oil. Rub roast with olive oil, salt, and
pepper, and then place it on top of the vegetable mix. Add about ½ c beef stock to the bottom of the
pan, and then place it in the oven. Bake
for 1 hour. Around the 30 minute mark, check
on the roast to make sure vegetables are not looking dry. Baste the roast and veggies with another ½ c
of beef stock. Check for doneness by
using a meat thermometer. The internal
temperature should be at least 145*F.
Allow roast to sit for 15 minutes before serving.
Medieval Black Pepper
Sauce
 |
| It's strong and peppery, but amazing on the roast. |
1 slice of bread, toasted until black (make sure it’s good
and burnt)
1/3c equal parts apple cider vinegar and water (add extra
liquid if you would like a thinner sauce)
1tbspn red wine vinegar
1tbspn black pepper
¼ tsp ground ginger
Soak the burnt bread in the liquid in a small sauce pan
until it begins to fall apart. Use a
fork to mash it. Stir in the spices, and
slowly bring the mixture to a boil.
This can be rubbed across the entire roast once it has
finished cooking, or you can add it to each slice upon serving. It looks like watery mush when it is cooked,
but trust me, it’s supposed to look that way.
This sauce is very peppery. On
its own it is pretty intense, but it pairs wonderfully with the roast.
Onions in Gravy
 |
| Yum! |
10oz pearl onions (peeled)
1tbsp honey
1tbsp unsalted butter
1 sprig of thyme, minced
1/3 c apple cider
1tbsp flour
3c beef stock
Salt
Pepper
Quarter 7 of the onions, and set the rest aside. Heat a sauté pan over medium heat and add
honey, butter, herbs, and the quartered onions.
Toss onions in the butter mixture
to ensure they are evenly covered, and cook until the onions turn golden
brown. Make sure you stir frequently to
prevent onions from burning. Once the
onions are golden brown, add the cider to the pan slowly to deglaze the
pan. This will help remove all the
sticky goodness from the pan. Evenly
sprinkle the flour in the pan and stir.
Then add the stock and the remaining onions. Cook for an additional 5 minutes, then reduce
the heat and cook until the gravy reaches your desired consistency. Make sure to taste and seasoning with salt
and pepper before serving.
It took me about 2 hours to prep and cook the complete
meal. It was a lot of prep work, but the
end result was worth it. This will be a
meal I make again in the future.
 |
| A Feast Fit for a King |
I can't say enough about
A Feast of Fire and Ice, the Official Game of Thrones cookbook. I highly recommend this book to any GoT fan and foodie out there. There is such a great variety of recipes and illustrations. This is definitely one of my favorite cookbooks.
