Roast Beef

Not much one can say about roast beef. It's perfect, or it isn't. Last night, disgusted because we had no hot water, I cooked a roast beef (only one pot to scrub in cold water; and no, I haven't let my dearly beloved talk me into the world without pots and pans yet). I decided to try the method I found for pork roast in the Wall Street Journal a couple of weeks back. Perfect beef, perfect gravy...and it's hard to get an eye round roast to be tender.

ROAST BEEF
1/2 eye round roast (about 3 lbs.)
1 onion, sliced thin
2 tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. oregano
2 cloves garlic, minced, or 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1 cup beef broth

Melt the butter in a dutch oven or small covered roaster. Add the roast, and brown on all sides. Remove to platter. Add onion and garlic and cook until soft. Whisk in oregano and cornstarch until smooth, then add the beef broth and whisk until thoroughly combined. Return the beef to the pot, placing on top of the onion. Let it cook at 325 for about 20 minutes per pound, or until it reaches a temperature of 130. Remove from the pan, and slice while keeping the gravy hot. Serve with potatoes and spinach.

The hot water is back on, but now my husband is talking about switching us from oil to natural gas ("I hate giving my money to the **@*#!! arabs!"), and is awaiting conversion prices from our plumber. Good thing that warmish weather is upon us, and it looks like I'm facing a few more days of no hot water soon. I'm sure there will be myriad complaints from my college students when they get home, but the little boys will be cheering loudly and raucously at the prospect of "No Baths!"