Peppercorn roast and roasted garlic mashed potatoes

I’ll admit it: I’m a roast-in-a-bag kind of girl. You know those McCormick Bag ‘n Season Pot Roast packets? I love them. The roasts my mom and I have made in those little bags somehow became the roasts I compare all others to. (She mocks me for this, but not quite as bad as she does for my love of Shake ‘n’ Pour pancakes. What can I say? I have a sophisticated palette.)

But, for quite some time, I’ve been thinking about trying a new roast recipe. Something that doesn’t require the bag, that, admittedly, I always make a huge mess with upon opening.

That being said, I’m kind of picky about my roast. I like simple, tender and flavorful without a lot of extras that distract from the taste of the meat.

When I came across this recipe in my Internet research, I immediately knew it was the one I wanted to try. So, yesterday I bought a roast —a 2-pound Certified Angus Beef brand eye of round roast — and some Weber Grill Black Peppercorn Marinade mix since I knew I wanted to make it peppercorny. (Sure, that’s a word.)

I marinated the roast for a few hours and then cooked it as instructed in the Texas Beef Council's recipe.

It turned out awesome! By the time it sits for the required amount of time it's almost a little cool, but, as the Mr. pointed out, that made it an even better summertime roast. I definitely recommend it as a delicious way to enjoy a lean and economical cut of beef. I only wish I was going to be around tomorrow to enjoy some of the leftovers on a sandwich! Here's what the Mr.'s portion looked like:

For a side dish I made one of our favorites — roasted garlic mashed potatoes. This recipe is a mixture of a couple of different ones I found several years ago that I adapted to my liking. These are easy to make and oh-so-delicious. If you’d like to make them for 2 people, you’ll need:

1 baking potato

1 head of garlic (I use most or all of the cloves, but if you don’t love garlic the way we love garlic, just reduce the amount.)

Olive oil

Sea salt

Coarse pepper

¼ cup heavy whipping cream

5 Tbsp. unsalted butter

To the roast the garlic:

Cut the top off and discard, exposing the cloves.

Brush or spray the exposed cloves with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and coarse pepper. Wrap in foil and roast in a 350 degree oven for 30-45 minutes. (You can do this up to several days ahead of time and refrigerate it, or do right before you need it.)

When you’re ready to cook the potatoes (about 40 minutes before you’re ready to eat dinner):

Wash and cut the potato into 4 pieces. (You can peel it if you want, but I prefer skin-on.)

Place the potato pieces in a pot and cover with water. Squeeze the garlic cloves into the pot. Bring to a boil on stove and cook until tender, about 35 minutes or so usually.

While the potatoes are cooking, add the heavy whipping cream and butter to a saucepan and heat on medium. Allow to reduce. The process only takes about 10-15 minutes, but it won’t hurt to start it when you start the potatoes and just reduce the heat or even turn it off toward the end.

When potatoes are done, drain and pour back into pot or into a mixing bowl. (I like to use my stand mixer if it’s not already in use.) Add the butter and cream mixture a little at a time (you probably won’t need it all, especially if you’re like me and like your mashed potatoes a little on the dryer side) and mix using an electric mixer until you’ve reached your preferred consistency. Add some sea salt and coarse pepper and give it another quick mix.

Here's a picture of our dinner: