Roast Beast

A few weeks ago, my Mom wanted to know a good roast beef recipe.  I didn’t have one.  I could have made one up, but there are people who are way more qualified to do that sort of thing and there are plenty on the internet for the taking.  Don’t reinvent the wheel, right?  So, I sent her a link to one that looked tasty.

Well, since I shared that recipe with her, I have been craving my own roast beef (ask me why I didn’t just go to Mom’s house…).  But, because I’ve been making it a habit to buy meat once a month from Mt Vernon Farm, I waited.  Sure, I could have could have gone out a bought one at the grocery store.  The problem with that is that I really like the way the animal are handled at this farm.  I like their methods and ideology.  AND I really like the taste.  You can really tell that its fresh.  They have the best flavored lamb steak I have ever had.  Ever.  Even if you’re not a huge lamb fan, I bet this might change you’re mind. If you’re in the area, you can order from them or if you’re close enough, just stop by.

Back to roast beef.  I ordered a bottom round roast, just like the recipe says.  I couldn’t choose a cut with the layer of fat, but luckily, the piece I got had the fat.  I let it come to room temperature, which most people recommend for grass fed beef anyways.  I incised the meat and put garlic pieces in the cuts and seasoned with oil, salt and pepper.  Here’s where my problems began.  I stopped paying attention to the recipe.  While this isn’t usually a problem with soups or stovetop meals – roasting can be a different story.

I cooked the meat just as the recipe says, at 375 for 30 minutes.  Instead of turning the oven down to 225, I turned it down to 325…

I realized it about 30 more minutes in, and turned it down, but after a total of an hour in the oven, the roast was reading the temperature I was aiming for.  Well, the flavor is really good, but the meat is still tough.  It really needed to be more slowly cooked to become tender.  Oh well, I suppose that means I’ll just have to try it again. 🙂 Please excuse the non artsy photo, I had to scramble to get a photo before it was eaten.

I did make the best mashed potatoes though.  I added a clove of garlic, a few pats of butter, salt, pepper, chives and buttermilk.  The buttermilk is an awesome addition to mashed potatoes, so if you ever have the chance, try it.  The gravy turned out really well too.

In other news, my new favorite snack/dessert has recently become honey butter cinnamon toast.  Amazing.  Delicious.  You should try this one too. With a glass of milk.

 

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