Vintage: Bringing Back Sunday Dinner

Every Sunday, after church, my mother would prepare a big family meal. We gathered around the table mid-afternoon to eat a hearty dinner as we shared stories of our week. This tradition was just one of the many traditions my family celebrated, but it is not one that I embraced when I started my own family. Now that my children are older, I'm trying to get them to slow down long enough to fit in Sunday dinner whenever we can.

This past weekend I made a roast beef dinner that I've prepared so many times, I had to stop and think about how I made it. Here is my recipe...

Roast Beef

1 5-7 lb. top round roast
1 bulb garlic
Olive oil (approx. 2 tbs.)
Rosemary (approx. 2 tbs.)
Thyme (approx. 1 tbs.)
Garlic powder (approx. 1 tbs.)
Onion salt (approx. 1 1/2 tbs.)
Kosher salt (approx. 2 tbs.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare roast by cutting slits into the roast about 1"-2" deep and insert whole garlic cloves. Rub olive oil over the roast to coat and then salt liberally. Coat the roast with rosemary and thyme. Place roast in roasting pan with 1 1/2" of water. Roast approximately 1 1/4 hours, but be sure to check the water level every 40 min. or so and add more. Once the roast is done, let it rest and bring the drippings to a boil. Once reduced slightly, add garlic powder and onion salt to taste and thicken Au jus with a roux (equal parts fat and flour) if desired. (Cooking times may vary. I use the roast setting on my convection oven.)

Need more inspiration? Check out Sunday Suppers where you will find the roasted lamb recipe (pictured above) and all sorts of menu ideas. It's a feast for all your senses!

Enjoy!