This recipe from the latest Food and Drink calls for a beef strip loin roast, which is leaner and less expensive than prime rib, but which is very tender and tasty. Oven-sear the roast for 10 minutes and then top with a mixture of bread crumbs, Parmesan, parsley, lemon zest and oil. Return roast to oven and cook until medium-rare or to your desired doneness. Let the roast stand for at least 10 minutes, covered, keeping in mind that the meat’s internal temperature will rise a few degrees during this time.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

For the bread crumbs, I used PC black label panko, which is additive-free. Genuine Parmesan is additive-free; look for the name stamped on the rind.

A strip loin roast is leaner and less expensive that prime rib

Combine panko, Parmesan, parsley, lemon zest, oil and pepper for the crust

Parmesan-crusted stip loin roast

Ingredients:

4 lb (1.81 kg) beef strip loin roast, untied

Salt and freshly ground pepper

¾ cup (175 ml) panko bread crumbs

½ cup (125 ml) finely grated Parmesan cheese

2 tbsp (30 ml) minced fresh parsley

Grated zest of 1 lemon, about 1 tbsp (15 ml)

2 tbsp (30 ml) olive or canola oil

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 450°F (232°C). Trim off any excess fat cap on the roast thicker than ¼ inch (5 mm). Lightly season roast all over with salt and pepper. Place on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Sear roast in oven for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine panko, Parmesan, parsley and lemon zest in a bowl; drizzle in oil, tossing to evenly coat crumbs. Season with pepper to taste. Set a rimmed baking sheet on your work surface.

Remove roast from oven. Lower the heat to 275°F (135°C). Lift rack with roast from roasting pan and place on rimmed baking sheet; set roasting pan aside.

Press crumb coating by small handfuls over top and sides of roast, leaving cut ends bare. Scrape up any crumbs that fall onto baking sheet and press back on top of roast (if any do not adhere, discard or use on a baked vegetable side dish).

Carefully transfer roast on rack back into roasting pan. Return to oven and roast for about 2 hours or until meat thermometer reads 135°F (57°C) for medium-rare or until desired doneness (temperature will rise about 5°F/3°C upon resting).

Transfer roast to a cutting board, loosely tent with foil and let rest. Cut roast into slices to serve. Serves 6 with leftovers.

From Food and Drink