Roast Beef with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy

Making roast beef at home might sounds like a daunting task for some people. Many people would rather go out to a steakhouse or a restaurant that specializes in roast beef than trying to make it at home. I have come to tell the masses that making a roast beef dinner at home is easy to make and might be more cost effective. For this recipe you will need to use a 2 1/2 to 3 pound round roast. Roast beef should be served medium rare to medium. I highly suggest that you serve your roast beef this way because it is juicy, and tender when cooked to those temperatures.The longer you cook the roast beef the tougher it will be. A good tip when cooking roast beef is to use a meat thermometer. By using a meat thermometer you can easily know how well done the meat is. A good tip is that 130-135 degrees Fahrenheit is medium rare. While 140-145 degrees Fahrenheit is medium. Another good piece of advice is to make sure that your meat is at room temperature before you roast it. By leaving the roast beef at room temperature for about half an hour to an hour it will result in the roast beef cooking more evenly.

Ingredients:
top round roast of beef 2 1/2 to 3 pounds
garlic, 6 cloves chopped
tablespoon of chopped  fresh thyme
kosher salt
ground black pepper
one onion chopped
two stalks of celery chopped
two carrots chopped

Method:
First set the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. In a roasting pan place the onion, carrot, celery, and half the garlic. Make sure to rub the roast beef with a liberal amount of salt and black pepper. Place the roast beef on top of the aromatic vegetables. Cover the top of the roast beef with the rest of the garlic and the fresh thyme. Cook the roast beef for 15 minutes at 425 degrees Fahrenheit. After 15 minutes, set the oven temperature to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and roast for an hour. After an hour and fifteen minutes, the roast should register around 130 degrees Fahrenheit when you use a meat thermometer. If after an hour and fifteen minutes it is not right at 130 degrees Fahrenheit do not worry. If you take the roast out of the oven a few degrees below 130 degrees Fahrenheit it will continue to cook as it is resting at room temperature. Once out of the oven, let the roast rest for 20 to 30 minutes. When it comes to serving the roast beef, slice the beef thinly. You want tender meat so the thinner the slice the more tender it will be. With the pan juices you can make an easy gravy. Take the pan drippings and add about a tablespoon of flour in a sauce pan. Cook the flour into the pan drippings until the flour has cooked fully into the drippings. Then add either beef stock or water to the pan. The gravy will not thicken unless you bring the water or stock to a boil. Once at a boil the gravy will thicken. Serve the roast beef with mashed potatoes, the gravy, and a vegetable of your choice. This is a great family dinner, or perfect to impress anyone.