lardo-studded roast beef

manzo lardellato

TOTAL TIME: 2 hours

MAKES: 6 servings

A paste made with parsley, garlic, and spices serves two purposes for this roast beef: it adds lots of flavor, to be sure, but because it is combined with high-fat lardo, it also bastes the beef as it roasts for tender, juicy results.

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Ingredients

3 1/2 ounces lardo or guanciale (see glossary entry at right), roughly chopped (3/4 cup)
2 tablespoons roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns, roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Pinch ground cinnamon
1 (3 1/2-pound) eye of round beef roast, excess fat trimmed
Fine sea salt
2 pounds medium Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch wedges
1/2 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 celery ribs, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Special equipment: parchment paper; kitchen string

Instructions

Heat oven to 400° with racks in upper and lower thirds.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine lardo, parsley, garlic, peppercorns, paprika and cinnamon; blend to a smooth paste.

Using a sharp paring knife make about 12 x-shaped incisions about 2-inches deep all over the roast; stuff each with about 1 teaspoon paste. Rub roast all over with remaining paste and season with salt.

In a large roasting pan, toss potatoes, carrots and celery with oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Roll roast in a sheet of parchment paper, with paper overhanging ends. Tie up the roast at 1-inch intervals with kitchen string; fold parchment paper over ends of roast to seal and tie once lengthwise. Place roast in an 8- x 10-inch baking dish and cook in lower third of oven for 30 minutes.

Put vegetables in upper third of oven and continue to cook roast and vegetables until an instant-read thermometer inserted into center of roast registers 130° for medium-rare, about 45 minutes more.

Remove roast from oven (leaving vegetables in oven to finish cooking while roast rests) and let rest 15 minutes. Discard string from roast, slice roast into 1/3-inch-thick slices and serve with pan juices and vegetables.

April 2010