Welcome to bitesnpints! My name is Caleb and I am an avid food and beer lover. I’ve decided to share my thoughts and recipes with you all. A little background, I live with my wonderful wife and dogs in Virginia. As you will find out I love the outdoors, hiking, music, food, beer, wine, and the list continues. But thats enough about me, lets get right to it.

Eye of round roast with roasted mushrooms and pearl onions along with mashed potatoes

This is a cut of beef that can either by amazing or blah, just by how you prepare and cook it. Cooking it low and slow will break down the tough tendons that are common in the back part of the cow. Another benefit of cooking it low and slow is you get to enjoy a few more drinks before dinner, which is always a plus in a recipe. Along with the roast I made a horseradish sauce that comes with a kick and pairs perfectly with the beef.

For this recipe give yourself a good 4 hours of prep and cooking for it to come out just right. I started with the horseradish sauce in the AM so it could come together throughout the day. I also used a mason jar for easy assembly and storage since I knew I would have leftovers.

Makes enough for 6 servings (roughly)

1 cup of sour cream

3 tablespoons of spicy horseradish (I used Inglehoffer’s Extra Hot)

1.5 tablespoons of lemon juice

and some freshly cracked black pepper

Next up was the rub for the eye of round, which I also made in advance to let everything mingle together for added pungency.

Garlic, thyme and oregano are the key components. I had dried thyme and oregano so I just rubbed them in my hand to wake them up from dormancy to help release even more of their flavor. Combining this with some good olive oil, salt and pepper is all you need. You will find out that I don’t tend to measure my ingredients (unless I’m baking) but below is a rough estimate of what I needed for a 3 pound roast.

3 tablespoons of fresh minced garlic

1.5 tablespoons of dried thyme (rubbed to wake them up from their nap)

1 tablespoon of dried oregano (rubbed)

2 tablespoons of good olive oil (I used Zoe’s cold pressed)

.5 tablespoon of salt and freshly cracked pepper (course ground)

Next I prepped my mushrooms (cremini) and pearl onions to be roasted along side the beef. A good hearty mushroom is what you need for this recipe something that can stand up to the low and slow cook.

The star of this recipe is the beef, I had about a 3 pound eye of round cut. Prior to applying the rub you want to take the beef out of the fridge and let it sit for about 45 minutes so it gets up to room temperature. You don’t want to apply the rub when the beef comes out of the fridge, rather let it sit at room temp to allow the beef to actually absorb all those flavors you worked so hard to get.

At this point start preheating the oven to 500 degrees, yes 500. Then comes everyones favorite part of the recipe, opening a bottle of your favorite red. We picked a Virginia wine for this roast, one of our favorites Mountfair’s Nebulous. Mountfair is a nearby vineyard that focuses on Burgundy style reds that are full body and packed full of cherry jammy notes. I believe this one is mostly Merlot and pairs perfectly with this dish. Any full body red would work, but if possible, pick one local to you. Just make sure it is good, because you obviously need a glass after opening 🙂

Pack the marinated roast into a dutch oven, or cast iron; you want something that can retain the heat for a long period of time. Pack the hearty mushrooms and pearl onions around the side. Drizzle those with a little olive oil and salt and pepper, then pour about a glass and a half of wine (8 ounces) over the mushrooms and onions. This will make an amazing ‘gravy’ that is full of richness and all those drippings of the beef.

Make sure the oven is completely preheated to 500 degrees and put the roast in, uncovered. For each pound you want the roast to be at 500 degrees for about 6 minutes, so in my case I keep the oven at 500 for about 20 minutes, give or take a minute. Next up comes the easiest part of the recipe, just turn the oven off. Yes, off. Keep the oven door shut, this is important, all that heat that was generated from the high temp is a good thing and it’s essential to not lose any of that by opening the oven door. Even with those aromas of thyme and garlic, go pour another glass of wine and chill out. You will check back in a couple hours to see how things are going.

A couple hours later. Have the meat thermometer ready and do an initial check on the roast. For a medium rare roast you are looking at around 130 to 140. If you are still coming up short turn the oven back on to 170 degrees to finish the cooking to the desired temperature. I would recommend around the 130 to 140 though.

Here is what it will look like after the cooking process

Remove the roast and let rest, covered with aluminum foil for 10 to 15 minutes. If you neglect this part and cut right into it you will ruin the work you have done and all the juices will be lost on the counter top. So, if you are having trouble go pour yourself another glass of wine and chill out.

After 10 or 15 minutes comes the moment you have been waiting for, carving! Cut up a few slices for you and your guests and chow down. I paired the roast and veggies with some mashed potatoes, topped with that amazing ‘gravy’ that was made in the dutch oven. Pair this with a red wine of your choice and you have a special dinner ahead.

Don’t forget the horseradish sauce!

Cheers!