Beef Roast Over Vegetables

When I saw Michael Symon make this on The Chew a few weeks ago, I knew this would have to be my Seder dinner.  Low effort, as cheap or expensive as I felt like making it, and impressive in presentation.  Plus, after last year's potato bar, I kind of owed everyone some meat.

Also as a result of the potato bar, I didn't use potatoes as one of my root vegetables.  I pulled some carrots, and radishes that had gone so long they were bolting.  Parsnips, onions, turnips, and fennel from the market rounded out the selection.  I think I spent more on veggies than the roast, which was on sale for $4 a pound.

I was really nervous about staking my dinner party reputation on a chuck roast.  When someone says Chuck, I think of stew, fondue, or chili.  Maybe beef vegetable soup.  I don't think of having people over for a ritual meal.  My nice set of flatware doesn't even have steak knives.

It did come out a bit tougher than a more expensive cut of meat, but nothing that the not-so-pretty steak knives couldn't handle.  Most important, it was done as much as I wanted it, which was slightly more than medium-rare on the ends and true medium-rare in the middle.  Only the two end slices were medium.

3 lb chuck roast
2 small onions, quartered
1 lb small Yukon potatoes, halved
4 thin carrots, peeled
2 parsnips, peeled and cut in half
2 C water
kosher salt, pepper, paprika
olive oil
fresh herbs such as thyme and rosemary, bundled

1.  The night before, generously season meat with salt, pepper, and paprika on all sides.  Leave in fridge, uncovered, for at least 12 hours to dry-marinate (rub).

2.  Remove roast from fridge and allow to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.  Preheat oven to 450º.  Line a roasting pan with foil.  (I barely had to wash it after.)

3.  Distribute prepared vegetables in roasting pan.  Nestle herb bundles among the veggies.  Sprinkle with kosher salt and cracked black pepper.  Drizzle lightly with olive oil.  Place roast on top of vegetables.  Drizzle meat with more oil.  Add water to the bottom of the pan.  Don't wash the spices off the meat.

4.  Bake at 450º for 30 minutes, then turn down oven to 275º.  I also rotated the pan.  That's the photo at the top of the post.  You can see that this is when the dark crust forms.  Continue to roast at 275º in 30-minute increments.  Check temperature starting at the next 30-minute (1 hr total) mark and baste meat with pan juices every time you check it.  When thickest part of roast reaches 125º, you have achieved rare to medium-rare in the middle and close to medium on the ends.  For me, that was at the 1-1/2 hour total time mark with a 2-1/2 lb roast.  It was also too early, so I turned my oven down to 140º for a half hour before pulling it out.  If you like a more done roast, go to 135º.  Be careful, it happens quickly.

5.  Remove the roast from the oven and allow to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes, about 10 minutes per pound.  Also how long it takes us to do the first part of the Seder.  Remove roast from pan and slice across the grain.  Place on serving platter with vegetables and spoon pan juices over it.  I also had a gravy boat on the side with more juice.  What I don't have is a picture, because we were hungry and I forgot.  I took a picture of what was left.

Serves 8

Difficulty rating  :)