One of my favorite meals that Mom makes is a tender and tasty eye round roast. She coats the meat with garlic salt, pepper and celery seed, which gives it a wonderful and flavorful crust. So when eye rounds when on sale the other day, I knew what we’d be having for dinner later that week. I decided to make a simple au jus with the pan drippings, wine and beef broth, perfect for pouring over the meat and the accompanying mashed potatoes.

You will need a roasting rack when cooking this roast to ensure necessary air circulation. If you don’t have a rack, you can make one simply by taking sheets of aluminum foil and twisting them into strips to place the roast on. Or, use thick slices of onions to put under the roast.

Ingredients (Serves 4 to 6)

• 1 eye round roast (2-3 lbs.)
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 2 teaspoon celery seed
• 2 teaspoon herbes de Provence
• Fresh ground pepper to taste
• ½ cup red wine
• 1 cup low sodium beef broth

Preparation

Cut garlic clove in half and rub the cut side of the clove all over the roast. If desired, make a couple of slits in the fat and place the garlic inside of them.

Brush the roast with the extra virgin olive oil.

Mix together the garlic salt, celery seed and herbes de Provence, and coat the entire roast. Save any of the leftover salt and herb mixture.

Liberally apply the fresh ground pepper to the roast. I gently press the salt and pepper mixture into the roast so it will adhere better.

Refrigerate the roast for several hours or overnight. Remove the roast from the refrigerator an hour before cooking.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Heat olive oil in a large skillet and brown the roast on all sides.

Place the roast on a rack in your roasting pan. You can go ahead and recoat the roast with any of the leftover salt and herb mixture and some more fresh pepper.

For a medium rare roast (135 degrees F to 140 degrees F), cook for an hour or so, until a meat thermometer registers 125 degrees F when inserted into the thickest part of the meat. Remove from the oven and let rest for 15 minutes or so, keeping in mind the roast will continue to cook.

Transfer the drippings from the roasting pan to a medium saucepan and whisk in the wine and beef broth.

Bring the broth to a boil, and then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

Slice the roast against the grain and pour some of the juices over it.

For me, this roast calls for mashed potatoes, a tossed salad and a nice glass of red wine.

If there are any leftovers, I like to thinly slice the meat to make submarine sandwiches. Add cheese, grilled onions, horseradish, etc., warm in your oven or toaster oven, and use some of the beef broth for dipping. Yummy!

Bon appétit!

Eat, drink and be merry!

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