On Fri, 14 Jan 2005 12:47:01 -0500, Dave Smith
wrote:

Hi. I want to make my first roast (beef). Is it better to bake it in
the oven, or to cook it on the stove? Do I need to add potatoes,
onions, carrots, etc? I would also appreciate any specific
recipes/tips. I want to impress my fiance's parents.

I regularly entertain guests with a roast beef dinner.

1) Buy a decent roast. Get a prime rib roast with two ribs. Smaller
roasts don't cook as well. A five pound, two rib prime rib roast will
feed up four to six people as long as everybody doesn't really pig
out. Get a small wire rack to raise the roast about 1/2" off the
bottom of the roasting pan.

2) Get a meat thermometer. Insert the tip until it's in the middle of
the roast, but NOT touching any bone. Put in the oven on the wire rack
in the roasting pan at 320°.

3) If you're going to make roast potatoes, before you put the roast in
the oven, cut up the potatoes about 2" square and bring to a boil in a
pot in the stove top. Simmer for 10 minutes. Arrange them in the pan
around the roast and put everything in the oven. As the roast is
cooking, turn the potatoes every 30 minutes. Cooking time
approximately 2.5 - 3 hours.

Cook until the meat thermometer indicates your desired doneness, rare,
medium, well done.

If you want to make gravy, you can get the type that you make in the
drippings of the roasting pan on the stove top after you take the
cooked roast and potatoes out, or make the type done in a pot on the
stove top. Both types taste good, the type done in the roasting pan
tastes, better.

Extras - Garlic bread, a bottle of dry red wine (two might be needed),
salad and some type of desert. Store bought pie and cooked in your
oven, (it can cook while you're eating) or something like black forest
cake, also store bought.

All of this cooking is rated as easy.

Enjoy!

When you master this process, I'll give you some desserts to make.