Peppery Roast Beef and Horseradish Sauce

With its spicy coating and creamy horseradish sauce, this tender roast is sure to be the star of any meal,
whether it’s a sit-down dinner or serve-yourself potluck.—Maureen Brand, Somers, Iowa

Christmas dinner in the Gruffhouse is not very traditional these days. We pick a meat and hunt down a good recipe. No creature is safe; game hens, duck, turkey, ham and pork, and beef are welcomed for the holiday meal.

We chose beef this year, and settled on Taste of Home's Peppery Roast Beef recipe.

The recipe for the roast is very basic. Most cooks have the stuff on hand. We do not normally use seasoned pepper so this, in addition to the meat, was all we had to purchase.
 
We went with the exact measurements called for in the recipe and found a 5-pound top round roast. The spices blended well and lent a fabulous taste to the beef. It is comfortably peppery and without the sinus-clearing heat found on most pepper-encrusted roasts.
 
Cooking was a different matter. I mistakenly covered to pan. This could be why the roast came out middle-well rather than my favorite shade of pink. The recipe also calls for 2-1/2 to 3 hours cooking time (and then letting it rest). Ours was done in 2 hours and 10 minutes. Again, this may be due to being covered. Also, our roast had barely any fat on it - you need that fat to keep things juicy.
 
The meat's flavor was magnificent. We enhanced our portions with the horseradish sauce.
 
The sauce! People, you MUST make this sauce. I am not a fan of heat, but Taste of Home's recipe turns horseradish into an absolute treat to the taste buds. It paired well with the beef.

We paired this roast with scalloped potatoes and broccoli. There was plenty to feed three people, plus enough leftovers for lunch and dinner the next day.

TASTE OF HOME PEPPERY ROAST BEEF RECIPE

Roast Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon seasoned pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 boneless beef eye round or top round roast (4 to 5 pounds)

 
Horseradish Sauce

• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper

1. Preheat oven to 325°. In a small bowl, combine the oil, seasoned pepper, garlic, thyme and salt; rub over roast. Place fat side up on a rack in a shallow roasting pan.  
2. Bake, uncovered, 2-1/2 to 3 hours or until meat reaches desired doneness (for medium-rare, a thermometer should read 135°; medium, 140°; medium-well, 145°). Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing.  
3. In a small bowl, combine the sauce ingredients. Serve with roast.

Nutrition Facts: 4 ounces cooked beef with about 1 tablespoon sauce: 228 calories, 10g fat (4g saturated fat), 83mg cholesterol, 211mg sodium, 3g carbohydrate (1g sugars, 0 fiber), 30g protein.
 
We paired this roast with scalloped potatoes and broccoli. There was plenty to feed three people, plus enough leftovers for lunch and dinner the next day.