If you are partial to a ribeye steak, then a ribeye roast is the ultimate, well-marbled roasted beast, especially for Christmas dinner. Utilizing a few tips, the results are both juicy and savory.
Bring a 3-4 pound boneless roast to room temperature – this is very important in order to insure that the middle of the roast is not cold when it goes into the oven, which always results in an overdone outside and bloody middle. Score the 1/4 inch of fat with a knife to prevent the fat layer from shrinking and disfiguring the meat during roasting.
Cut a pocket into the middle of the roast (making sure not to cut through to the other side). Stuff the pocket with a mixture of finely diced herbs and aromatic vegetables. For my roast today, I used onion, parsley, and the rosemary I dried from the pot on the deck this past summer. Tie the meat with string, and place on a roasting pan, fat-side up, on a bed of carrots or celery – this prevents the roast from cooking in the melted fat that runs into the pan bottom, which could burn the meat.
Drizzle olive oil over the roast, and then sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Place the pan uncovered in a 450 degree oven for twenty minutes to brown, then cover and reduce the heat to 350 degrees. Let roast until the internal temperature reaches 140 degrees, and then remove from the oven. The roast will continue to rise another 5 degrees, which will provide medium doneness.
It’s vital to let the roast “rest” for 15 minutes before slicing. This will allow the juices, which are close to the outside of the roast from cooking, to migrate back into the center. Remove the string and slice, and serve with mashed potatoes and green beans.
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