Holiday Roast & Duchess Potatoes

JEREMY ABBEY + JOHN PIAZZA | DETROIT INSTITUTE OF GASTRONOMY

Holiday Roast

Duchess Potatoes

BEEF ROAST INTERNAL COOKING TEMPERATURES

Rare: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115–125°

Medium Rare: . . . . . . . . . . . 120–135°

Medium: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135–145° (ideal temperature range)

Medium Well: . . . . . . . . . . . 145–155°

The Tie That Binds

Unlike a braise that cooks the meat until it’s pull-apart soft, the key to cooking a roast is to reach a desired internal temperature throughout, such as medium at 140oF.

Tie the cut to shape it into a tight, evenly sized oven-ready roast. If left untied, the muscles will separate, allowing some portions to overcook and others to undercook.

Don’t be afraid to ask your butcher to tie a roast when you purchase it. To tie it yourself, first cut a piece of butcher’s twine to loop around the roast as many times as needed to hold the meat together. Wrap the twine around the end once and tie a knot. Next, make a loop by wrapping the twine again around the meat. The distance between each loop should not exceed 1 inch. Wrap the loose end of the twine under the loop and pull taut, aligning the center of the loop to the center of the roast. Wrap the twine around again (about 1 inch apart) and again wrap the loose end under the loop and pull taut. This time align the loop with the previous loop. Repeat this process until you reach the end of the roast. Tie another knot to keep your loops from unraveling. Adjust any loops that are not even and you are ready to start the roasting process.