Herb and Spice-Roasted Beef

Julie Weisman

This is a recipe for a special occasion, when you want to serve meat, but dressed up in some way. My family and guests have enjoyed the flavors of this recipe, but they are quite strong and a bit unusual for beef. The meat ends up with a nice sort of crusty outside. I usually prepare it a day in advance of cooking it.

Food Editor's Note:
This dish is easy to prepare and makes a very nice presentation. I used rolled Delmonico roasts, but you can splurge and use a sirloin roast as well. The leftover beef is excellent served in sandwiches.

Ingredients

2 roasts, 2-2 ½ pounds each [use Delmonico or sirloin]

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
4 large garlic cloves, peeled
2 bay leaves
1 large shallot, peeled and quartered
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
1 tablespoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoons olive oil

Grind all the ingredients for the coating, except the olive oil, in a food processor. With the machine running, add oil and blend well. Spread mixture evenly over all sides of the beef. Place beef in a large glass baking dish. Cover with foil and chill for at least six hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place beef on a rack in a large roasting pan. Roast until meat thermometer inserted into center of beef registers 125 degrees for rare, about 35 minutes (or longer if you like your meat cooked more). Remove from oven and cover with foil. Let stand ten minutes before slicing.

Makes 8 to 12 servings.

Julie Weisman works for ShalomBoston.com and comes from a family of great cooks.