Christmas Roast

After a seafood feast the night before, Christmas dinner is always centered by a beautiful roast. This year, we had a boneless ribeye roast that was delicious down to the last bite. If you are looking for a meal to impress, this will surely do the trick.

Recipe yields 15 servings (estimate 1/2-3/4 lb per person)

Ingredients
9 lb boneless ribeye roast (try for a choice or prime cut)
1/2 cup salt
1/4 cup freshly crushed black peppercorns
3 tbsp fresh rosemary
3 tbsp fresh thyme
Olive oil

Two hours before you plan to start cooking, remove your meat from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature. Before you begin, pat it down with a towel to remove any excess moisture.

Start by preparing your seasoning. Add salt and fresh peppercorns to a small bowl. Remove leaves from the stems of the rosemary and thyme and add them to the bowl. No need to chop them. Mix together all the ingredients and set aside.

Preheat your oven to 500 degrees. and arrange a rack in the bottom 1/3 of the oven. Heat 2-3 tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet and sear the meat on high until it is browned on all sides. About 2-3 minutes per side. Remove from the skillet and arrange on your rack inside a roasting pan with the fat side up.

Let the meat cool about 2 minutes and then drizzle it with olive oil. Rub handfuls of your seasoning on the roast.

Place in the oven. After 30 minutes, lower the temperature to 300 degrees. Continue to cook for 1 hour or so. You want the internal temperature to read 126 degrees (for medium/medium rare), so after 40 minutes, check the temperature and continue to cook accordingly.

Remove the meat from the oven and tent with tin foil. Let the meat rest for 20 minutes before slicing. Serve alongside your holiday favorites. Enjoy!