Recipe: Standing Rib Roast with Garlic-Peppercorn Crust
Serves 8 to 10 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 ½ tablespoons coarse sea salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground medium-coarse mixed peppercorns or black peppercorns
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, minced
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 butcher’s cut standing rib roast, about 10 pounds with 5 ribs (see Kitchen Notes*)
1 cup dry red wine (such as Merlot or Zinfandel) combined with ½ cup port
1. Chop garlic on a cutting surface and sprinkle salt over it. Mash together with the back of a fork until well mixed and scrape into a small bowl. Add pepper, thyme, paprika and olive oil, mixing to a paste. Rub paste all over roast, coating it well. Cover loosely with aluminum foil and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Place roast, bone side down, in a large roasting pan and roast 30 minutes. Baste with pan juices and reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Continue to roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat (but not touching bone) registers 130 to 140 degrees for medium-rare, about 1 ½ hours longer. (See Kitchen Notes**)
3. Transfer roast to a carving board and tent loosely with aluminum foil. Let rest 20 to 30 minutes before carving. While the roast is resting, skim off fat from pan juices. Place roasting pan with drippings on stove over medium-high heat and add wine mixture and up to 1 cup water. Bring to a boil, stirring and scraping up any browned bits from pan bottom. Cook until sauce is thickened and reduced to about 1 ½ cups, 8 to 10 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a saucepan; hold on low heat until ready to serve.
4. Carve the roast into slices about ¼-to ½-inch thick. Place slices on a warmed platter and drizzle them with a little of the pan sauce. Serve at once with extra sauce on the side.
Times Kitchen Notes:
*A butcher’s cut roast has the bones separated from the meat but tied back. ** The USDA recommends cooking a rib roast to 145 degrees for medium-rare, but many cooks find the meat is done too much for their taste.
From “Williams-Sonoma Holiday Cookbook”