What a hunka Meat!

 I wanted a big ole Prime Rib Roast for Xmas dinner this year - but it was only going to be the 2 of us. I went to the store and said - only two ribs thinking that would be not too big - HELLO! It weighted 5 and a half pounds - I'm not even going to talk about how much it cost - actually I cringed when I got it out of the fridge and saw the label - but it is a good local company and I'm assuming we are going to get many meals out of it this week so I'm rationalizing it thank you very much. I think my iron count will be good this month ; )

Anyway - it's actually an easy piece of meat to cook - but nerve wracking since you don't want to ruin something you have paid so much for! First I had the butcher cut off the bones and then tie them back on - this way it keeps the flavor together but makes it much easier to carve. I decided to keep it really simple just salt and freshly ground pepper - let those fabulous meat flavors shine! Next I put it in a roasting pan and started it at 425 degrees. After 30 min I reduced the temp to 350 and cooked another 45 min then checked the temp. It was a bit low so I popped it back in for another 15 min until it reached 120 degrees (about 16 min per pound) this was perfect. Most importantly we let it rest for 20 min to let all those juices settle in and then carved. Perfectly done! If you like it a bit done, you have the end piece and then the middle was a yummy slightly bloody rare. I kept the rest of the meal simple too, just a bit of horseradish mixed with sour cream and chives, some mashed potatoes, roasted brussel sprouts and of course popovers - I love those eggy rolls!

Now, I have to confess I didn't actually make this for Xmas day dinner! I had planned on it but after we had this lovely lunch below - it just seemed too much - so again I made it the day after - just like Thanksgiving! Tonight I'm going to make my mom's recipe of hash on top of cornbread... maybe I'll share that later... merry merry everyone!

Xmas Lunch - crab cakes, butternut squash ravioli with browned butter and arugula salad with shredded carrots, celery root and toasted almond - I cheated and bought the cakes and ravioli - so there.