STANDING RIB ROAST OF BEEF WITH MADEIRA SAUCE

By Kitchenbee

Bon Appetit/December 1981 – Holiday Feast article
Served with Rosemary Potatoes with Caramelized Onions

Ingredients

• Sauce:
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp dried thyme, crumbled
• 1 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 10 lb standing rib of beef (4 ribs), trimmed, fat score, chine removed and tied onto roast
• 2/3 cup water
• 1 1/2 tblsp butter
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 lb small white mushrooms, trimmed (sliced or halved if desired)
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup minced shallot
• 1 cup beef stock
• 1/2 cup Madeira
• 1 tblsp tomato paste
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Preparation

Step 1

Combine salt, thyme and pepper in small bowl and blend well. Rub into roast, covering entire surface. Transfer meat to rack in large roasting pan. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour until ready to use.

For sauce: Combine water, butter, lemon juice and salt in nonaluminum medium saucepan and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and stir in mushrooms. Cover and cook gently about 5 minutes. Uncover and set aside. (Can be prepared several hours ahead to this point. Let stand at room temperature until ready to use.)

Preheat oven to 500. Roast meat 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 and continue roasting until meat thermometer inserted in thickest portion of meat (without touching bone) registers 180F (for rare), about 17 minutes per pound; do not baste. Transfer roast to heated serving platter. Tent with foil and keep warm.

Discard as much fat as possible from roasting pan. Add ¼ cup butter to pan and melt over medium-high heat. Stir in shallot and saute until tender. Drain mushroom cooking liquid into measuring cup and add water, if necessary, to equal 1 cup. Pour into roasting pan with beef stock, Madeira and tomato paste and blend well. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring up any browned bits, until liquid is reduced to 2 cups. Stir in mushrooms and cook just until heated through. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to heated sauceboat. Carve roast at table and serve immediately with sauce.