Eye of Round Roast...now what?

[Jewel]

OK, folks, please help me plan dinner! I have an Eye of Round roast that I plan on putting in my Showtime Rotisserie this evening after rubbing it with a really good rub full of cracked black pepper. Problem is, we like sauce or gravy with our meats, so just serving the slices au' naturel won't really cut it. I'm not really in the mood for your basic beef gravy, and am looking for a killer spicy-type sauce I can drizzle over the slices on the platter. In the past I've used a packaged-envelope sauce that we really like called 'Pepper Medley' that is essentially a white sauce with dehydrated red & green bell pepper flakes and black pepper, but I'm wondering if there are any other ideas out there?

I'm also at a loss as to what to serve with it. Because Mr. Rotisserie sits on my counter, my oven and my stovetop are free! Beef just screams for potatoes...Homeade Au Gratin? DH and I spent 3 hours yesterday waiting for a tow truck to come get my car at a hardware store (blew the starter in my Saturn...grrr..) and then he spent two hours underneath my car in our driveway replacing the starter, so I kind of want tonight's dinner to be a special thank you. Any ideas? Thanks for all! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

[This message has been edited by Jewel (edited 06-18-2001).]

[Mamasue]

Jewel,

From past experiences with Eye of Round....this cut of meat is lean and tough and may need marinade or braise. I have not bought this cut of meat in years because of its lack of taste and toughness. Sorry!

[Jewel]

Hi Mamasue!! Thanks for the input. Actually, before I bought that Rotisserie I never cooked Eye of Round for the same reason. According to the charts, it's the leanest cut of beef there is, so it doesn't have the tenderness that other cuts do. When I do a rub and spin it in the rotisserie, I cook it 18 minutes per pound for medium, it's develops a really nice crust on the outside, and the inside is really tender and reddish pink. I slice it really thin (1/4" or so) and drizzle a sauce over it. Very flavorful when I cook it that way! I'm just at a loss for the sauce today. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/frown.gif Besides, it was on sale!

[gabbyh]

Jewel,
When I was growing up...a few years back now...my Mom made an eye roast EVERY Sunday...would roast it in the oven and the last hour add little potatoes and carrots...I loved the veggies...but hated the meat!! It was a great one-pot dinner tho...

[Melman]

Would you be interested in an absolutely killer NOT CL Potatoes/Portabello Gratin recipe???? It's an Alton Brown "Good Eats" recipe. I made it for a friend Friday night. I thought he was going to dive into the dish!! Very very simple....very very wonderful. And if you could figure out a good subsitute for a cup of Half and Half, it might not be THAT horrible for you.

Or do my favorite kind of math....lower-fat meat....higher-fat side. We had pork tenderloin with it....Ahem..I'm SURE it averaged out!! :-)

[Jewel]

Thanks Melman! I've looked at that recipe, but DH isn't a portabello fan. I DO agree with the higher-fat side dish rule, however, and I think I'm going to make my homemade AuGratin Potatoes with a few slices of crumbled bacon, fresh chives and shredded lowfat sharp and gruyere cheese. Just sounds good!! Still wavering on the sauce, and not sure of a veggie, but I guess it'll come to me!

And Goldilocks, thanks for the recipe, but tenderizing the Eye of Round has never been a problem in the rotisserie. We love it cooked this way! Admittedly, it's the only way we really like this cut, but it works when it's spinning! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif Thanks!

[jazzcat]

Melman, Could you please post the potato-portobello gratin? It sounds wonderful!!!!

[Melman]

Gladly...it really is awesome:

POTATO/PORTOBELLO GRATIN
Recipe courtesy Alton Brown
5 or 6 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled
2 or 3 Portobello mushroom caps, sliced thin
1 cup grated hard cheese such as Parmesan or Asiago
3/4 cup half and half
Kosher salt and ground black pepper

Heat oven to 400 degrees and butter a 9 by 13-inch baking dish and set aside.

Using a mandolin, V-slicer or the slicing attachment on a food processor, slice the potatoes approximately 1/8-inch thick. (If you don't want to slice all the potatoes at once, slice them one at a time and build the gratin as you go.) Create the first layer by laying the slices in overlapping rows. Once the first layer is down, season lightly with salt and pepper, then scatter with mushroom slices and a couple tablespoons of the cheese. (Don't over-do it on these layers, if you create a barrier between the adjoining potato layers, the gratin won't set.) Continue building layers until you're out of potatoes or out of room to build, but be sure to save 1/2 cup of the cheese for the top.

Pour 2/3 cup of the half and half over the gratin then spread both hands over the surface and push down to work the air out from the layers. Add remaining liquid only if half and half does not come to the surface when you push down. Sprinkle the gratin with cheese, cover loosely with foil and place in middle of oven for 1 hour. Check for doneness by inserting the point of a paring knife straight into the gratin. If it goes through smoothly, remove the foil, return to oven, and turn on the broiler just long enough to turn the top golden-brown. Remove, and allow to sit at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hours 0 minutes

[jazzcat]

Melman, Thank you, thank you! This looks great. I'm drooling.


[This message has been edited by jazzcat (edited 06-18-2001).]

[crazycook]

Hi Jewel, am I too late?? If I'm not...I have a suggestion...my absolute favourite and have to admit outrageously fattening sauce for beef is a Bearnaise Sauce. If you like tarragon then it would be wonderful. Let me know if you are interested. I have two recipes..one not so quick and one blender version which is quick and just as tasty and satisfying.

[AD]

I can't believe you don't like eye-of-round roast! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/eek.gif It's been my personal favorite ever since I can remember. I've only had my mother's, but she roasts it in the oven and seasons it with garlic. Ordinarily, I hate garlic. But for some reason, it really seems to be okay in this particular meat. It smells wonderful when it cooks all day, and it is one of the few special things we eat since my family is pretty much limited to my mother and myself.

You think that's lean; there are stores here in Texas selling Longhorn Ground beef. It's the only 98% fat free ground beef I've seen, and it's every bit as good as the ground sirloin. The cattle used are left to freely graze and aren't fattened with grain like most cattle. Also available in an even wider market is Laura's Lean ground beef at 94-96% fat free.

[This message has been edited by AD (edited 06-18-2001).]

[charlie]

Jewel,
Let me start by saying that I am new here but truly love your sense of humor!!!!
Now I don't really know what you like but anyone who covers a roast in black pepper has to enjoy a little "kick" in their gravy and while I am probably too late for tonight's dinner, I thought I'd share a favorite of mine...Redeye Gravy and CL even has a recipe for it! It's in The Complete Cooking Light Cookbook and used in a chicken recipe but redeye gravy is great with any meat!

An Adaptation of CL's Redeye Gravy

2 teaspoons stick margarine or butter
1/3 cup chopped country ham (about 2 ounces)
1/2 cup strong brewed coffee (keyword-strong)
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 (6 oz) package presliced portobello mushrooms (and I have used creminis very nicely, as presliced portobellos can be hard to find, never mind the price)
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon hot sauce

1. Melt margarine in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Combine ham, coffee, 1/4 cup water, hot sauce, and sugar; add to skillet. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 3 minutes. Add mushrooms; cover and simmer 7 minutes or until mushrooms are tender. Remove mushrooms with a slotted spoon and place on platter, keep warm.
3. Combine 1 tbs flour and 1 tbs water in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk; add to cooking liquid in pan. Bring to a boil, and cook until thick (about 1 minute), stirring constantly. Spoon over meat and mushrooms.
Yield: 4 servings (about 3 mushroom slices and 2 tbs gravy).

[Chefzhat]

How about smashed red/new potatoes? These are great and easy, just boil with a little onion, them smash with fresh garlic and salt/pepper, lf milk and 2 pats butter. Just as good as a restaurant!!!

[goldilocks]

Jewel...this is a family favorite and cooking it in the crockpot will tenderize your cut of meat.

Crockpot Tangy Rump Roast
1 rump roast, trimmed -- 3 - 5 lbs
1 package onion soup mix
1 can cranberry sauce -- jellied
2 tablespoons butter -- softened
2 tablespoons flour
Rinse rump roast and pat dry. Sprinkle the onion soup mix in the bottom of the crockpot. Place the rump roast in next. Spoon the cranberry sauce around and over the roast. Cover and cook on low 10 - 12 hours.
Remove roast from crockpot and allow to rest while you thicken the gravy. Turn the crockpot up to High. Blend the softened butter and flour into a paste and whisk it into the gravy. Cover and cook on high for about 10 minutes, until thick.
Slice the roast into 1/4" thick slices and serve with the gravy. The slices may be frozen in the gravy in plastic freezer bags.

You can saute mushrooms and add them to the gravy at the end. Enjoy!

[Jewel]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone...the roast was overdone ONLY because of my darned pricey digital thermometer with the long cable and the probe...the kind that Alton Brown uses?? Medium-rare is about 140 deg and my probe said 127 deg, but it had been in long enough and I pulled it out of the rotisserie anyway. There was barely any pink in the middle! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/mad.gif For a tougher cut of meat that was the kiss of death...way too chewy, but DH loved the flavor. Drizzled it with that Pepper Medley sauce I like (packaged by Schilling, but oh so good!) and served it with Au Gratin Potatoes and a broccoli, cauliflower and carrots mixture.

Sometimes that probe works and sometimes it doesn't, but for $20 you'd think it'd be the most accurate thermometer out there!!! Sheesh!!

[Tiger]

Originally posted by gabbyh
When I was growing up...a few years back now...my Mom made an eye roast EVERY Sunday...would roast it in the oven and the last hour add little potatoes and carrots...I loved the veggies...

My Mom did the same thing! (I always thought it was an Irish thing.) Anyway it's my DH's favorite. And I have to admit my Mom, who isn't a big cook, makes the best gravy.
The eye-roasts were on sale this week and I bought 2. (buy one get one free) But now I'm wondering does anyone know how long you cook these things?

[sneezles]

Originally posted by Tiger


My Mom did the same thing! (I always thought it was an Irish thing.) Anyway it's my DH's favorite. And I have to admit my Mom, who isn't a big cook, makes the best gravy.
The eye-roasts were on sale this week and I bought 2. (buy one get one free) But now I'm wondering does anyone know how long you cook these things?

This is a great recipe and while it may seem a bit odd to leave the meat in after the oven is off, it continues to cook in the very hot oven without dying it out.

DELICIOUS EYE OF ROUND ROAST

1 eye of round roast
Soy sauce to taste
Worcestershire sauce to taste
cracked black pepper to taste
crushed garlic
butter, about 2 tbs cut up


Preheat oven on broil to 500 degrees. Place roast on metal sheet cake pan. Pierce top of roast with meat fork and rub with the cracked black pepper and the crushed garlic. Pour Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce over roast. Top roast with butter pats. Place roast in oven and cook 3 minutes per pound of roast. Turn off oven and leave roast in oven for 1 1/2 hours. Do not open oven door. This is a delicious medium rare roast.

[Anne]

Hi Jewel. This is probably too late for dinner but red wine, tamari (or soy sauce), ginger, garlic, and pepper (black, jalapeno, whatever) make a great sauce for roasts (can also be used as a marinade). I use about 2/3 wine to tamari and as much ginger, garlic and pepper as I feel like. Heat it up and add flour to thicken if you like more of a gravey than a sauce. Lightly sauted green onions and mushrooms also go well with this.

[Tiger]

Originally posted by sneezles


This is a great recipe and while it may seem a bit odd to leave the meat in after the oven is off, it continues to cook in the very hot oven without dying it out.

DELICIOUS EYE OF ROUND ROAST



Did anyone else try this? I followed the directions exactly except I roasted it a few minutes longer since my DH doesn't like to see any red. Well the meat was raw! As my DH was slicing it he asked me if it was cooked at all. As I was running out the door to make my class he was cooking the meat in the microwave. No dinner for me and I'll say it's my "flop" for the year!

[Tizzylish]

I've used a recipe similar to Sneezles recipe before for my roasts. I roast the meat 6-7 minutes per pound then turn off the oven and leave it in for about an hour to an hour and a half (no opening the door and peeking), depending on what my thermometer read. Mine was md-rare. It came out the perfect pink everytime, that was with my old oven, I haven't attempted it with my new oven yet. Also for the gravy I would use a can of beef broth to deglaze the pan {saving some to be slurried with cornstarch}, a shot of worcestershire, salt and pepper and make a gravy that way with it. But last week I seared it on top of the stove and roasted it at 325 until my thermometer read 135 degrees. Let it rest 10-15 minutes and it was perfect.

[claire797]

Wow! I can't wait to try Sneezle's technique on Friday. My husband absolutely loves roast beef and I'm always looking for new ways to prepare it.

I've mentioned before that I often soak eye of round in buttermilk for a few hours before roasting. That always seems to make it a little more tender. Maybe I'll do that and then try the Sneezle's version.

[Tiger]

I can't wait for someone else to try it! Do you think it could have been my gas oven? I've never had problems before.