My Grandmother and Grandfather on my mother’s side lived here in Roanoke (I grew up in Charleston WV) and they were members at the church where I now belong – Raleigh Court Presbyterian. Their old house is in Raleigh Court about two miles from where we live now. I haven’t shared with my children enough stories about their great grandparents and visiting them in Roanoke when I was a child. I guess we get busy and forget those things, but not much is more important than instilling in your children a sense of family history and shared joys.
My memories are rich. I remember riding my big wheel through the alleys of Raleigh Court. I remember grandmother helping me put on my cape to play “bat-mite” around their yard. I remember seeing the star from the guest bedroom window that my brother Mike and I shared. I remember the roast beef my grandmother would make and her yummy pimento cheese and custard as well. I remember my granddaddy’s laugh and how he would always grab my nose to steal it and he would always grab it pretty hard! I remember how he would give us mints in church. (My aunt carries on this tradition today with my children.)
I hope when my children grow up they cherish all the memories of their grandparents. Happy Grandparents day to all of you! May we all hold tight to what really matters.
3 to 3 1/2 lbs of Boneless Rump Roast (pick a end cut with a lot of fat marbling)
Olive oil
8 slivers of garlic
Salt and pepper
For the gravy:
Red wine, water, and or beef stock
corn starch
– Start with the roast at room temperature (remove from refrigerator 1 hour before cooking – keep it wrapped). Preheat the oven to 375°F.
-With a sharp knife make 8 small incisions around the roast. Place a sliver of garlic into each incision. Take a tablespoon or so of olive oil and spread all around the roast. Sprinkle around the roast with salt and pepper. Place the roast directly on an oven rack, fatty side up, with a drip pan on a rack beneath the roasting rack. This arrangement creates convection in the oven so that you do not need to turn the roast. The roast is placed fat side up so that as the fat melts it will bathe the entire roast in its juices.
-Brown the roast at 375°F for half an hour. Lower the heat to 225°F. The roast should take somewhere from 2 to 3 hours additionally to cook. When the roast just starts to drip its juices and it is brown on the outside, check the temperature with a meat thermometer. Pull the roast from the oven when the inside temperature of the roast is 135° to 140°F. Let the roast rest for at least 15 minutes, tented in aluminum foil to keep warm, before carving to serve.
To make the gravy:
Remove the dripping pan from the oven and place on the stove top at medium heat. Add some water, red wine, or beef stock to the drippings. Dissolve a tablespoon of cornstarch in a little water and add to the drip pan. Stir quickly while the gravy thickens to avoid lumping. You can add a little butter if there is not a lot of fat in the drippings. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add some fresh thyme too if desired.
By Leigh Sackett [email protected]