Sunday Dinner

I try not to make red meat as our protein more than once a week.  Our son brought friends home for dinner and requested his favorite Sunday dinner, roast beef.  My kids termed it 'meat with that good brown gravy' when they were young.  You know how everyone has that one thing they make that they know they do well?  Mine is gravy, thanks to my grandfather.  My grandfather was a proper English gentleman.  He is the roots to my love of cooking.  He taught himself the fine art of French cooking and mastered anything he tried.   In his later years he lived with us.  I am the youngest of five and experienced his years with us more than the rest.  He taught me to try new things, look at cooking as an art and more importantly, how to make stock and gravy. I didn't realize it at the time, however, I shared so much in common with this soft spoken, martini (very dry with an onion) drinking, artist (lace designer, fascinating story in itself).  I could add African violet expert, sweater wearing, painter, reader, and dreamer to the list too.  Yup, other than maybe the soft spoken attribute, it pretty much sums me up as well!
 Not really much to show you as far as a recipe today.  More tips than anything else.  And, I apologize for no final photo!  We were having fun setting the table and putting the food out that I completely forgot.  Trust me, every drop of the gravy was gone by the end of the meal!

Sunday Roast
not a printable recipe!

1 4-5 beef roast*
Kosher salt & pepper
3 c. beef stock
1/4 c. corn starch
1 c. water

*There are a few perfect choices to use when making a roast.  This is a dry method way to roast, low heat and no fat or added liquid.  Prime rib, rib roast, tenderloin, strip roast are all the best; however more expensive.  I use (thanks to my grandfather) a center cut sirloin tip.  It is similar to the cut you see on carving stations at restaurant buffets.

Tie the roast with string so the meat is more uniform thickness throughout to ensure even cooking.
Place in a roasting pan, not much bigger than the roast.
Season the fat side of the roast heavily with salt and pepper.
Roast in a 325 degree oven.  30 minutes per pound for medium-rare.
Let sit for 30 minutes before slicing.

Pour off the pan drippings into a bowl.  Let sit until the fat rises to the top.  Skim off the fat and discard.
Pour the beef stock in the roasting pan.  Set on a high heat burner and bring to a boil.  Scrape off the brown bits sticking to the pan.
In a glass mix the corn starch and water to make a slurry.
In the corner of the pan where the stock is the coolest, slowly add the slurry to the pan, whisking constantly.  Lower the heat and cook for a few minutes until thick, stirring occasionally.  It is important to cook for a few minutes to cook off the taste of the cornstarch.

Sorry!  This is when the family fun got crazy and I stopped taking photos :)