A holiday meal should be extra special, and for those of us who happen to be carnivorous nothing beats a gorgeous rib roast. I bought the prime rib pictured from the meat department manager at Market Basket, who was kind enough to have it cut just for me. He asked how many ribs I’d like, and then went the extra step of cutting the roast away from the ribs and retying it with butcher’s twine. This makes life so much easier. The meat can be seasoned on all sides and then placed back on the ribs, which act like a rack in the oven. The roast is more flavorful when roasted on the bone, and when it’s done the carving is a breeze!

First, a spice-rub for this bad boy. I use kosher salt, Coleman’s Dry Mustard, chopped fresh rosemary, garlic smashed to a paste, and black pepper. This rub is applied to all surfaces of the roast and then tented with foil to stay in the fridge for up to 3 days to season and age.

I start the roast in the oven at high heat, 450 degrees for the first 20 minutes, and then reduce it down to 325 degrees until my trusty remote meat thermometer signaled an internal temperature of 125 degrees. The roast continues to cook as it rests (for 30 minutes) and the juices redistribute into the meat. In the meantime I made garlic mashed potatoes (whole garlic cloves boiled with unpeeled red potatoes and then mashed with butter and cream), Brussels sprouts with bacon and bleu cheese, salad with rich vinaigrette dressing, and popovers! Popovers are so much fun and pretty easy, but dangerously good which is why I save them for special occasions only. These were made with Parmesan and chives. Yum.

The roast came out so well I actually brought a photo to the meat manager at Market Basket. I’m sure he thinks I’m a loon. Or maybe he has photos of other people’s successes in his office. Food porn, perhaps?

Standing Rib Roast

Serves 8-10

2 ½ T. kosher salt

3 T. minced fresh rosemary leaves

3 tsp. ground black pepper

2 tsp. Coleman’s dry mustard

8 garlic cloves, grated on a microplane or very finely minced

A 3-5 rib standing rib roast, meat separated from the bones and tied (a good meat cutter will know what to do)

Mash the first 5 ingredients in a bowl to form a paste. Spread the paste over the outside of the meat, and set the roast (ribs down) in a roasting pan. Cover loosely with foil and and leave in the refrigerator at least overnight, but preferably 2-3 days.

Let the meat come to room temperature about 3 hours before you plan to cook it.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees with the oven rack close to the bottom.

Put the roast in the oven, bones out, and roast for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 325 degrees and continue to roast another 1 hour and 15 minutes, and then begin checking for doneness with an instant read thermometer. It should read 120 degrees when inserted into the thickest part of the meat. Once removed the meat will continue to cook, bringing the temperature up to medium rare.

Let the beef rest for 30 minutes uncovered. Then transfer to a cutting board, remove the butcher’s twine holding the meat to the bones and slice the meat and the bones. Transfer the meat and bones (which will still have lots of tasty meat on them) to a warmed serving platter and serve with horseradish cream on the side.

Horseradish Cream

Combine 1 cup sour cream, 1 T. chopped chives, 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp. lemon zest in a bow. Grate fresh horseradish (available in the produce section) and add to taste depending on how hot you like it (prepared horseradish can also be used but fresh is better). Add kosher salt to taste. Serve sprinkled with extra chives.

I hope you and yours have a very Merry Christmas no matter what you eat!

Deborah