Written with love, by Sarah-Eliza Stone (woohoo! new last name!)
The first thing that you notice about me is my red hair. The second inevitable fact is that I’m very Irish. And as my husband truly enjoys pointing out, “with the Irish follows the temper”. This is usually after an episode of swearing at the cutting board, or the pot, or perhaps the oven. Whatever it was that made my recipe go awry in the first place, it’s usually to blame.
There are days where the poor fool should be pitied as he creeps into our tiny kitchen, patient as always, and attempts to fix my disaster. I’ll be the first to admit there are times where I would love nothing more than to chuck the dinner outside and order Chinese instead. I’ll also be the first to admit that sometimes all it takes is a bit of encouragement, and a teaspoon of whiskey.
This date night is all about spices, whiskey and how all the flavours can play off of one another to make a delicious dinner. Don’t be afraid to smell (or taste) a few brands until you like the smell of a certain kind.
Ingredients
· 2kg of round eyed beef roast
· 2 cloves of chopped garlic
· ¼ cup chopped onion
· 2 basil leaves
· 2 mint leaves
· 3 cups of beef stock
· 1 tsp whiskey
· 1 tsp of paprika
· 1/8 tsp of cumin
· ½ tsp of chilli flakes
· 1 tsp of butter
· 1 tsp of mayo (or light mayo)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400F
2. To create the rub; chop garlic, onion, basil and mint
3. Add in beef stock, whiskey, paprika, cumin and chilli flakes
4. Puree entire mixture, or mix very well into a thick paste
5. Taste, and add butter and mayo if you find the rub too spicy
6. Rub down roast in the mixture, place in a baking tin with roughly 2 cups of beef stock or water
7. Cook the roast for 30 minutes on 400F, then baste
8. Reduce heat to 350F for 1h 15 minutes, keeping in mind to baste every 20 minutes throughout the cooking time
9. With roughly 25 minutes to go, begin side dishes
10. Allow roast to rest for 20 minutes before serving
11. Serve with gravy made from left over juices, adding in salt to taste. Mix in baking powder to help with thickness.
