Roast Beef with Rice and Gravy

Nothing says Sunday dinner to me quite like roast beef with rice and gravy and a whole smorgasboard of yummy side dishes.  Unfortunately, I didn't think about roast beef this Sunday... I thought about it on Monday.  Not wanting to wait a whole week, I decided I'd let it cook today while I'm at work.

***DISCLAIMER:  I know that it is not really advisable to leave the oven on while you're gone.  I recommend you cook this roast while you're home...so the printable recipe will have the time/temperature/instructions for cooking a roast while you're at home.  Please do not leave dinner cooking in your oven because I told you to.  I am not telling you to.  There ~ do as I say, not as I do (or as I say I do).***

I was supposed to get up early to get the roast in the oven, then run home at lunch to check on it.  Weeeeellllll, me and mornings aren't really friendly.  So I ran home at lunch to put it going.  Here's what I did...

Chop a shallot (or small onion) and 6 or so cloves of garlic (you can read more about my garlic addiction here)

Put the onions and shallots in a small bowl (a ramekin works great, too).  Add salt, pepper, worcestershire and Kitchen Bouquet (go easy on the Kitchen Bouquet...it's rich)

Stir it all up (YUM!)

Cut slits about 1 inch wide and an inch or 2 deep all over the roast

Fill each slit with the onion/garlic mixture

Now sprinkle some salt and pour any remaining mixture over the outside of the roast, and rub it in.

Heat some olive oil (just enough to wet the bottom) in a cast iron skillet over medium high heat.  Sear all sides of the roast.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm........

I threw it in the oven, covered with a bunch of liquid in there.  Since you're STAYING HOME WHILE YOUR OVEN IS ON....

Put it in the oven uncovered for about 45 minutes.  Then add a little water (about a quarter inch deep in the pot, pour it over the meat when you pour it in) and check it again in about 45 minutes.  When all the water cooks out, mix beef broth (1 cup), brown gravy mix (2 Tbsp) and water (1 cup) in a bowl and whisk until all the lumps are gone.  Pour over roast, cover the pot and cook until roast is fork tender (another hour or so).  Serve it over rice.

I got this in the oven in a little under 30 minutes.  When you cook yours (and you should, this Sunday - Dad, or Dad To Your Babies, will LOVE it!) you can throw it in the oven and just give it a little love every now and again throughout the day.  Here's the printable.

By the way. . . while I was home I grabbed some leftover spaghetti and meatballs. . . that's what we had for dinner last night.

Come back tomorrow....I'll let you know the roast turns out!!!