Did I Mention I Like Roast Beef?

This post will not have pictures because I've decided pictures of raw meat don't really glam the place up.

In March when I was in Louisiana, I came across a great deal on a huge cut of beef eye of round.  Like, as big as my thigh (and I'm a pretty big girl).  So what does the bargain huntress in me decide to do?  Buy it, freeze it, transport it to Texas, and then wait until this week to cook it.  That's normal, right?

So then I had this huge chunk of cow defrosting in my fridge and had to decide what to do with it.  Here's what I came up with.

First, I cut off the two ends into about 3-4 pound roast sections.  I was happy that the middle part was still large enough to cut into 4 steaks plus about a pound of thin strips to be used in a stroganoff.  So at least 4 meals for around $10 (told you it was a good deal).  Not even counting leftovers.

But since it had previously been frozen, I needed to deal with this meat pronto.  I put one roast in a marinade and soaked it overnight for me to cook today.  Then I'll probably freeze it again for another day.  Or cut it into sandwich meat.  Haven't quite decided.  I'm going to cook the strips and freeze them so they'll be ready for a quick meal.  And the steaks are for dinner tonight.

Yesterday I made a roast from a recipe I was trying for the first time.  It was SO good I'm going to share the recipe, which is originally from Taste of Home (my favorite cookbook).  You can find the original recipe here, because I'm going to tell you my version.  (I thought the original made way too much sauce and a couple of other tweaks.)

Roast with Creamy Garlic Sauce
Serves 12.

6 oz. Dijon mustard, divided
9 garlic cloves, peeled, divided
1 1/2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper, divided
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 beef roast or tenderloin (4 to 5 pounds), halved
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup sour cream

1.  Mince 8 garlic cloves and combine in a blender with 4 oz. of the mustard and 1 tablespoon of pepper.  Cover and process for 1 minute.  Add 1 tablespoon oil and process until a paste forms.  Spread over beef.

2.  In a large skillet, heat the remaining oil over medium-high heat.  Brown beef, on piece at a time, on all sides.  Place in a shallow roasting pan coated with nonstick cooking spray.

3.  Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees for 25-45 minutes or until meat reaches desired doneness (for medium-rare, a meat thermometer should read 145 degrees; medium, 160; well done, 170).  Remove to a warm serving platter.  Let stand for 10-15 minutes.

4.  Meanwhile, mince the remaining garlic.  In a saucepan, combine garlic, whipping cream, sour cream and remaining mustard and pepper.  Cook and stir over low heat until heated through.  Slice beef thin.  Serve with the sauce.

This is a very good Sunday dinner-type of meal.  It messes up a fair amount of dishes cooking it, but it was well worth the effort.