Looking for something special to serve that someone special this Valentine’s Day? Sometimes the menu just calls for something classic, so how about a simple everyday recipe for a retro classic? Simple Roasted Prime Rib, simply beautiful food for the home cook.
LAWRYS PRIME RIB
The restaurant where my prime rib celebration meals memories first began, was of course the classic Lawry’s the Prime Rib in Los Angeles. Opened in 1938 on La Cienega Boulevard, among the then fields of mustard growing along the street. It’s hard to imagine Beverly Hills famed Restaurant Row ever being rural, but I guess it was. I remember going to Lawry’s as a young child in the 70’s when the row was really hopping. I was in awe of the towering booths and of course the spinning salad. I do remember the prime rib was delicious, from then on I thought of prime rib as only a “special” meal.
BONELESS ROASTED PRIME RIB RECIPE
Fast forward to today. I stopped by to see my neighbor, who is a great cook, only to spy a boneless prime rib sitting in a cast iron skillet, ready to go in the oven. You know us cooks, always asking food and cooking questions. “Was there a special occasion?” No special occasion, just a simple, any-day roast method that yields a roast prime rib in no time. Genius.
I went out the next day and procured a small 3 pound boneless prime rib roast, grabbed my trusty cast iron skillet and in 30 minutes a delicious meal was served. I never knew how easy a prime rib was to cook until using this simple method. My neighbor instructed me how to cook the prime rib, similar to this recipe here from Chef Mike Colameco’s method in Saveur magazine, it’s barely a recipe, more of a roasting technique. The two important items are of course the prime rib and the cooking vessel. I was lucky to snag a small prime rib (about 3 pounds, perfect for four) on sale, and the butcher kindly boned it for me, most markets will be happy to oblige.
CAST IRON SKILLET
Next comes the cooking vessel. A trusty, well used and loved cast iron skillet is a Bijouxs Basic in the kitchen. I have had mine for ever. It’s a 10-inch skillet, but handy for larger roasts would be 12-inch pan. This is one of the best investments you can make in cookware, and the pans are surprisingly reasonable. Cast iron gets rippin hot and sears meats wonferfully, yielding a crispy brown crust.
Once you have your mise en place ready, it’s time to start, and it’s simple. The recipe includes giving the roast a quick sear on stovetop on all sides, then the roast is placed in the oven to finish cooking. It yields a crispy crust, and can be cooked to your preference of doneness, I prefer medium rare 120 degrees and remember the meat continues to cook while you let it rest.
RED WINE PAN SAUCE
Next comes the simple wine pan sauce, all that’s needed with this dish. Don’t throw out the pan drippings! Keep about 1-2 tablespoons of reserved fat in the pan, deglaze with a good red wine, scraping up all those good bits. Then add a touch of beef stock and a roux (made from equal parts flour/butter combined until soft). Cook sauce briefly until the flour is cooked, but sauce is still thin. Add a tablespoon of butter, salt and pepper and magic you have a wonderful pan sauce for the prime rib.
What to serve alongside? Perhaps, in keeping with retro theme serve creamed spinach or a cheesy creamed corn from cookbook No. 1 Family & Friends. For dessert maybe a make- ahead classic sheet cake like Betty’s Banana Cake.
Celebrate any day, with Bijouxs Simple Roasted Prime Rib, a classic little jewel from the kitchen.
As always, enjoy. B
