The leaves have fallen from the trees, the weather outside is (finally) cooler and there are fewer hours of daylight, which makes it the perfect time to make a roast for dinner.
Beef roasts are often on sale this time of year and I love experimenting with different cooking options such as oven roasting or using a slow cooker or Instant Pot.
It can be a challenge to cook a perfect roast — browned, seared and flavorful on the outside, and tender and juicy on the inside.
But over the past couple of years I’ve come up with a way to make a delicious oven roast with reliable results.
One crucial step is to remove the roast from the refrigerator and bring it to room temperature before cooking it. I usually add some tenderizer or sea salt, such as Maldon salt or Redmond’s salt, before leaving it to sit.
Once it reaches room temperature, I rub olive oil on the roast and massage it with my hands to identify any spots that don’t feel malleable and tender and I use a mallet-type tenderizer to loosen it up.
The next step is to sear the roast, but before I do that I like to prepare vegetables that will roast in the pan with the beef. This involves peeling a couple of carrots and potatoes and coarsely chopping some celery and onions.
Lately I’ve been using a combination of beef tallow and butter for searing, which adds extra flavor. Beef tallow has a high smoke point, which makes it useful for searing.
Before I add the roast to the pan, I season the meat again with whatever seasonings I feel like using. Sometimes I reach for a peppery steak seasoning, sometimes I like a coffee rub or a maple smokehouse seasoning blend. I recently discovered something called chophouse butter seasoning, which is delicious on a roast.
Once the roast is seasoned and ready to sear, I set it in a Dutch oven that’s been heated to melt the tallow and butter, sear it on all sides until it’s browned, then transfer it to a platter.
After it’s seared, I slide the pan off the burner, then add the vegetables to the bottom to create a base layer that the roast will sit on while it cooks. Raising the roast up off the bottom of the pans allows the heat to circulate better around the roast so it cooks more evenly. The vegetables soak up all the juices while the meat is cooking so they take on a rich, meaty flavor.
Since there’s limited room in the pan for vegetables, I usually line a sheet pan with carrots or potatoes to serve alongside the meat.
Recently, I coated the last batch of carrots with olive oil and roasted them with some sea salt. When they were nearly finished, I added some butter and powdered maple sugar and they were delicious — not too sweet and with a buttery maple flavor.
Another great side dish to go alongside a roast is coconut cream sweet potatoes. This creamy concoction is extra tasty when topped with maple toasted coconut flakes, which adds texture to the dish.
Coffee Rubbed Beef Roast
2-3 pound beef roast, room temperature
1 tablespoon olive oil
Several pinches of sea salt
2 tablespoons store-bought coffee rub seasoning
1 tablespoon beef tallow (or other cooking fat)
1 tablespoon butter
2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 sticks of celery, coarsely chopped
3 medium potatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped
Drizzle the olive oil over the roast and massage it in with your hands. If there are any tough spots, use a meat mallet to soften them.
Sprinkle coffee seasoning onto the entire roast, then set aside.
Add the tallow and butter to a Dutch oven and set over medium-high heat. When the tallow and butter are melted, add the roast and sear it on each side for 2 to 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove the roast from the pan and set aside.
Turn the heat off and remove the pan.
Add the chopped vegetables in a even layer to form a bed for the roast. Place the roast on top of the vegetables and set in an oven preheated to 375 degrees.
Cook for approximately 20 minutes a pound until the internal temperature of the roast reaches 135 degrees, then transfer to a cutting board and loosely tent with aluminum foil. Let the roast rest for 15 to 20 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees.
Buttery Maple Carrots
2 pounds fresh carrots, peeled
2 tablespoons olive oil
Several pinches of sea salt
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 1/2 tablespoons powdered maple sugar
Trim the ends off of the carrots, then cut them in half. Cut the carrots lengthwise into even quarters.
Spread the carrots in an even layer on a baking sheet, then drizzle with olive oil. Set the carrots in an oven preheated to 375 degrees and roast for 30 to 35 minutes or until the carrots are tender and browned.
Brush the carrots with the melted butter and top with the powdered sugar. Return to the oven for an additional 2 minutes, then remove from oven and serve.
Coconut Cream and Sweet Potato Mash
3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
13-ounce can coconut cream
1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher or sea salt, divided
6-ounce package large, plain coconut flakes
Coconut oil spray
1/2 tablespoon powdered maple sugar
Add the sweet potatoes to a pot, cover them with water and set over medium-high heat to boil.
When the potatoes begin to boil, lower the heat to medium low and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
Remove from stove and transfer to a colander to drain.
Add the sweet potatoes, coconut cream and 1 teaspoon of the sea salt to a food processor and process until smooth. Transfer to a serving bowl.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and add the coconut flakes in an even layer. Lightly spray with coconut oil, then sprinkle with remaining salt and maple powder sugar. Set in a preheated 350-degree oven and toast for 2 to 3 minutes or until the coconut starts to turn golden brown.
Sprinkle the toasted coconut over the sweet potatoes before serving.