PARMESAN-CRUSTED STRIP LOIN ROAST WITH PORT GRAVY

The fragrant crumb coating on this roast is so tasty—and attractive too—it’s well worth the effort of the extra step. A quick oven sear and a slow roast is the best technique for an evenly cooked beef roast with little shrinkage. You can decide if you want a thickened gravy by adding the flour or more of an “au jus”‑style sauce by leaving the flour out. Whatever you decide, be sure to reserve some gravy and roast beef for the Roast Beef & Barley Vegetable Soup (recipe follows)—the rich flavour of the gravy in the soup is a game changer!

4 lb (1.81 kg) beef strip loin roast, untied

Salt and freshly ground pepper

3/4 cup (175 mL) panko bread crumbs

1/2 cup (125 mL) finely grated Parmesan cheese 2 tbsp (30 mL) minced fresh parsley

Grated zest of 1 lemon, about 1 tbsp (15 mL) 2 tbsp (30 mL) olive or canola oil

PORT GRAVY

2 tbsp (30 mL) butter, cut into cubes, divided 2 shallots, finely chopped, about 1/2 cup (125 mL) 1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt, plus more to taste

2 tbsp (30 mL) all-purpose flour (optional)

1/4 cup (60 mL) port or red wine

2 cups (500 mL) no-salt-added beef broth Freshly ground pepper

1 Preheat oven to 450°F (232°C).

2 Trim off any excess fat cap on the roast thicker than 1/4 inch (5 mm). Lightly season roast all over with salt and pepper. Place on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Sear roast in oven for 10 minutes.

3 Meanwhile, combine panko, Parmesan, parsley and lemon zest in a bowl; drizzle in oil, tossing to evenly coat crumbs. Season with pepper to taste. Set a rimmed baking sheet on your work surface.

4 Remove roast from oven. Lower the heat to 275°F (135°C). Lift rack with roast from roasting pan and place on rimmed baking sheet; set roasting pan aside.

5 Press crumb coating by small handfuls over top and sides of roast, leaving cut ends bare. Scrape up any crumbs that fall onto baking sheet and press back on top of roast (if any do not adhere, discard or use on a baked vegeta‑ ble side dish).

6 Carefully transfer roast on rack back into roasting pan. Return to oven and roast for about 2 hours or until meat thermometer reads 135°F (57°C) for medium‑rare or until desired doneness (temperature will rise about 5°F/3°C upon resting).

7 Transfer roast to a cutting board, loosely tent with foil and let rest while you make the gravy or sauce.

8 For the gravy or sauce, remove rack and spoon off all but 2 tbsp (30 mL) of fat from drippings in roasting pan (reserve excess fat for Cast‑Iron Pan Yorkshire Pudding, if desired, or another use). If there aren’t at least 2 tbsp (30 mL) drippings, add half of the butter to the roasting pan. Heat roasting pan over medium heat until sizzling. Add shallots and 1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt. Cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes or until softened.

9 For a thicker gravy, sprinkle in flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Pour in port, then gradually pour in broth while stirring. Bring to a boil over medium‑high heat, stirring often and scraping up bits stuck to pan. If you added flour, boil, stirring often, for about 5 minutes or until thickened; if you didn’t add flour, boil, stirring often, for about 10 minutes or until slightly reduced. Turn off heat and whisk in remaining butter until melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

10 Cut roast into slices to serve. Cut a 1‑inch (2.5 cm) thick slice and reserve for Roast Beef & Barley Vegetable Soup; reserve 1/4 to 1/2 cup (60 to 125 mL) gravy, if desired. Let both cool, then wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Serve hot roast with gravy. Be sure to scrape up any of the crumb coating that falls onto cutting board and sprinkle over each serving.

Serves 6 with leftovers