MEAT

The local big-chain market tends to run the same holiday specials year after year.

At Thanksgiving they will have a 'free' frozen turkey you can 'buy' with loyalty points.  It works out to about $7 in exchange for a 22 pound turkey.

A week or two later they will have a 'free' spiral cut ham, about 10 pounds, for the same deal.

A little closer to Christmas and they will have a beef rib roast at a greatly reduced price.  This year it was $4.99 a pound (limit ONE).

I take advantage of every single special.

Here is today's contestant:

I trimmed some fat and silver-skin, and gave it a heavy salt/pepper rub.  Into the fridge, naked, for three days.  I just patted it dry once a day or do.  This dried it a bit, concentrating flavors perhaps.

Here we see it about two hours before oven time.  Rubbed with olive oil, roasted garlic, rosemary, thyme, black pepper, paprika, and a little more salt.

Around 2pm I will put it in a 275 degree oven with a thermometer shoved into it's center.  When the temp-gauge goes bingly bingly beep at 100 degrees, I'll reset the oven to 425 and the thermometer to 125.

Mean while, back at the ranch, while grandma beats off the crazed coyotes, I'll be finishing the twice baked potatoes and they too can ride that 425 heat train for the last mile or two.

I'll stuff them with mashers dosed with cream cheese, almost too much butter, roast garlic, and crunchy bacon bits.  Dust them with black pepper and paprika, and a pinch of parmesan cheese.

On the stove top, gravy.  Made with homemade beef stock, beef base, fried onions, mushrooms, homegrown fresh grated horseradish, and fresh cut rosemary.  A splash of Burgundy won't go amiss in the gravy, given time to cook down a little.  I'll use it to deglaze the fried onion fond before the rest goes in.

Oh, and I'll steam something green to satisfy those odd people in the house.

Oh, and lemme just say this.... fresh grated young horseradish is NOTHING like the prepared stuff from the store.  It's mild, delicate, floral, and shockingly good.