From the pages of Barb Raffin...

From The Pages Of
Barbara Raffin

BARB RAFFIN'S ROAST BEEF

Last Fall, a neighbor of mine bought half a butchered steer. Being good neighbors who thought they owed us a few favors and knowing how much my husband and I loved the flavor of free-range fed cattle, they shared with us.

What struck me odd was their willingness to part with roasts when I would have been thrilled with ground meat. When I asked my neighbor about this, her reply was, “What do you do with a roast?”

Having grown up with a stay-at-home mom whose kitchen was always full of cooking smells, it never occurred to me there were people who didn’t know how to cook roasts. Okay, truth be told, my mother tended to cook a roast to the point of rubber. I learned to cook falling-apart tender roasts from my mother-in-law.

But the point is I grew up familiar and comfortable with cooking just about anything. I thought everybody did. And what’s easier than a meal that can be cooked in one pot, pan or roaster.

1 Cut of ROAST BEEF (I prefer arm or chuck roasts as they remain juicier than a sirloin tip roast…which is pictured. They’re less expensive, too.)
Enough POTATOES to feed your family, peeled and halved (or quartered depending on potato size.) TIP #1: Red New Potatoes with partial peelings left on add nutrients. TIP#2: You can cut your potatoes ahead of time and refrigerate in a bowl of water. Ditto for all vegetables in this recipe.
A couple medium size SWEET ONIONS quartered
Enough CARROTS to feed your family. SHORTCUT: bagged mini carrots can be used.
SEASONINGS: Salt, pepper, garlic powder, and parsley flakes

COOK roast about 1 hour at 350*, REDUCE heat to 325* and continue cooking. If roast begins to dry out, add a little water and reduce heat to 300*. TOTAL COOKING TIME for a 3 to 4 pound roast is about 4 to 5 hours. The trick is to roast it slow if you want it falling-apart tender and juicy.

ADD ONIONS about 1 1/2 hours before the roast is due to be done.
ADD POTATOES about 1 hour before roast is due to be done.
ADD CARROTS about 1/2 an hour before roast is due to be done.
DUMP the whole works onto a platter and set it in the middle of the table.

Home-Made, Whole Food made simple.