Roast Beef

Ingredients

For the roast

• 3 to 3 1/2 pounds(1.3 to 1.6 kg) boneless rump roast (pick an end cut with a layer of fat, if you can)
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 8-10 slivers garlic (3 to 4 cloves, sliced in half or into thirds)Salt and pepper
• Salt and pepper

For the gravy

• Red wine, water, and/or beef stock
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Directions

To make the roast:

1. Bring beef to room temperature before roasting. This will help it cook more evenly. Remove from the refrigerator at least 1 hour, preferably 2 hours, before cooking. Sprinkle all sides with salt.
2. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Move a rack to the center of the oven, and place the other one underneath.
3. Pat the roast dry with paper towels. Use the tip of a sharp knife to make 8 to 10 small incisions around the roast. Put a sliver of garlic into each cut.
4. Rub olive oil all over the roast. Sprinkle it all over with salt and pepper.
5. Place the roast directly on the middle oven rack, fatty side up, with a roasting pan to catch the drippings on the rack beneath it.
6. Place the roast, fat-side up so that as the fat bathes the entire roast in flavor as it melts.
7. Cook the roast initially at 375°F (190°C) for half an hour, to brown it. Then lower the heat to 225°F (107°C). The roast should take somewhere from 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours more to cook.
8. The shape of the roast will affect the cooking time. If your roast is long and narrow, rather than a more round shape, it may take less time to cook.
9. When juices start to drip from the roast, and it is browned on the outside, check the roast's internal temperature with a meat thermometer. Remove the roast from the oven when the internal temperature of the roast is 135°F to 140°F (for medium rare meat).
10. Place the roast on a cutting board and tent it with aluminum foil to keep it warm. Let it rest for 20 to 30 minutes before cutting.

To make the gravy:

1. Remove the dripping pan from the oven and place on the stove top at medium heat. Note that if you are pulling the roast out early, for rare or a medium rare level of doneness, you may not have a lot of drippings. If so, leave the roast in a little longer at even lower heat, 175°F, to ease some more drippings out of it.
2. Add some water, red wine, or beef stock to the drippings to deglaze. Dissolve a tablespoon of cornstarch in a little water and add to the drip pan. Stir quickly while the gravy thickens to avoid lumping.
3. Add a little butter if there is not a lot of fat in the drippings. Add salt and pepper to taste, and thyme if desired.
4. After the roast has had a chance to rest a bit (and reabsorb its juices), thinly slice the roast to serve. (A sturdy long bread knife works well for slicing roasts.)
5. Pour the gravy over the slices or serve on the side.