Roast Strip Loin with Marchand de Vin Sauce

Roasted, tender, succulent, easy-to-carve meat served with a rich, wine-laced sauce. Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: Depends on desired doneness, see method Makes: Six to eight servings 1 (4 lb.) beef strip loin roast 3 Tbsp Dijon mustard 1 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste • marchand de vin sauce (see recipe below and Eric’s options) 1/2 cup red wine or beef stock

Unwrap roast and let warm at room temperature at least 60 minutes before cooking. This step will take some of chill out of the meat and promote more even cooking.

When ready to cook, preheat oven to 450 F. Place beef, fat side up, in a medium-sized roasting pan. Combine the mustard and rosemary in a small bowl. Brush the beef with the mustard mixture; season with salt and pepper.

Roast the beef 20 minutes. Lower oven temperature to 325 F and cook roast to the desired doneness, allowing about 50 to 60 minutes more cooking time for rare, 60 to 70 minutes for medium-rare to medium (see Note).

When cooked, set roast on a plate, tent with foil and rest 10 to 15 minutes.

While the roast rests, remove any fat from the juices in the roasting pan. Set the pan on the stovetop over medium-high heat. Add wine (or stock), bring to a simmer and scrape the bottom of the pan to lift off the tasty brown bits. Simmer wine (or stock) until reduced to about 2 Tbsp.

Pour the marchand de vin sauce into the pan and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat to low.

When the roast has rested, set on a cutting board. Pour and mix any beef juices on the plate into the sauce. Slice the meat and arrange on a platter or individual serving plates. Pour the sauce into a sauceboat and serve with the meat.

Note: Strip loin roasts can vary in thickness, which is why it’s essential to use an instant-read meat thermometer, inserted into the centre of the thickest part of the roast, to properly gauge doneness. A rare roast is done at 120 F; medium-rare will be 125 F to 130 F; and medium will be 135 F to 140 F. Remember that the meat will continue to cook when you let it rest before slicing.

Eric’s options: If making marchand de vin sauce is too much trouble for you, simplify things by serving the roast with red wine jus. When the beef is out of the roasting pan, set the pan over mediumhigh heat. Remove fat from the drippings in the pan, then pour in 1 cup red wine. Bring wine to a simmer and scrape the bottom of the pan to lift off the tasty brown bits. Simmer wine until reduced by half. Add 3 cups beef stock, bring to a simmer and simmer a few minutes. Pour jus into a sauceboat and serve with the beef.