INGREDIENTS

MEAT

  • 1 (8 to 10 pound) top round beef roast
  • Kosher salt
  • ¼ cup coarsely ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons dried oregano
  • Leaves from 6 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 3 tablespoons smooth Dijon mustard
  • 2 large heads of garlic, halved crosswise
  • Extra-virgin olive oil

GRAVY

  • 1 cup hearty red wine, such as Chianti or Merlot
  • 3 tablespoons grainy Dijon mustard
  • 4 cups beef stock
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 500°F. Position a rack in the center of the oven.

PREPARE THE ROAST BEEF AND GARLIC: Fit a roasting pan with a rack. Season the roast beef generously with salt on all sides and arrange on the rack. In a small bowl, combine the pepper, oregano, and rosemary. Spread the mustard directly on the meat and then coat with all of the pepper topping. Arrange the garlic halves on a single layer of foil that is large enough to fold over and cover the garlic, Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt. Wrap the foil over the garlic cloves into a little package. Place in the oven, directly on a rack.

COOK THE BEEF: Place the pan in the center of the oven and cook the beef, undisturbed, for 20 minutes. Lower the temperature of the oven to 350°F and roast for 45 minutes. If the garlic is tender to the touch, remove from the oven and set aside. Continue to cook the beef until a thermometer inserted into the center reads between 130°F and 135°F for medium-rare, about 2 hours longer When the roast comes out of the oven and rests, the temperature will increase a few degrees as it rests. The end slices will be more well done. If the meat is undercooked, you can always cook it more, but if overcooked, there is no fixing it! Place the roast beef on a cutting board and let rest for 20 minutes.

MAKE THE GRAVY: Pour off the excess grease from the roasting pan. Add the wine to the pan, bring to a boil over medium heat, and reduce the liquid by half. Whisk in the mustard, add the stock, and reduce the heat to low so the sauce simmers until it thickens slightly, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the vinegar and season to taste.

Hold the garlic halves like a half lemon over a blender jar and squeeze the cloves into the blender. Squeeze and reserve a few cloves of garlic to add texture to the gravy. Ladle some of the gravy inte the blender and carefully blend until smooth. Whisk the blended garlic back into the gravy. Stir in the reserved cloves for texture. Taste for seasoning.

SERVE: Arrange the beef on a cutting board and look at the natural “lines” of the meat. You want to cut across these lines to tenderize the meat. Cut the roast beef into ¼ inch thick slices and either serve them from the board with the gravy on the side or transfer the meat to a serving platter.