Italian Roast with Whipped Garlic Potatoes

Big Guy stopped at the grocer on his way home for lunch today and brought a fresh cut Bone In Rib Roast.  Essentially, a small version of a Standing Rib Roast - a little over 2 pounds.  As the pork loin for dinner was slow to thaw, I changed the main dish to beef.  Feeling a little adventuresome and wanting a "hearty" kind of meal, I created an Italian Rib Roast dish.

This could easily be used for lesser expensive cuts of meat as well - by the time I took it out of the pan for dinner, it was falling off the bone!

You will need:
2 Tablespoons oil - vegetable or olive oil
1/2 Onion chopped - all vegetables, coarsely chopped, in chunks
3 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chicken broth or white wine
1 can stewed tomatoes (I used frozen from the summer - Thank you Dear Mother!)
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp oregano
Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat oil in large pan on cooktop, Medium high heat.  Salt and Pepper Beef.  

Add Beef to Hot oil in pan.

Sear for 2 minutes each side.
Take Beef out of pan. Add veggies, sauteing and getting all the yummy goodness off the bottom of the pan.

Cook veggies 5 minutes.  Add chicken broth.  Stir.  Add Tomatoes.  Heat and let bubble for several minutes - 5-8 minutes.
Here's a little side note/story......  Number 4 was due and arrived the beginning of July this summer.  My parents are retired but to occupy my Daddy's time, he has 2 greenhouses.  Beginning in January, my father plants seeds - tomatoes especially.  The first several hundred plants he sales to backyard farmers.  Others he plants.  He plants quite a few tomato plants along with summer squash and cucumber plants.  The produce is sold, given to local food banks, delivered to neighbors, etc.  My Mother spends many many hours in the early hours of summer picking cucumbers, squash, and tomatoes.  Rotating the fruits of their labors, they are very particular of selling any over-ripe vegetables.  When my Mother came to lend a hand in our household as we welcomed Number 4, she came armed with dozens and dozens of ripe tomatoes.  Now, my family enjoys tomatoes but many a gallon Ziploc bag was filled with peeled tomatoes and frozen.  I now add them into the mix of spaghetti sauce, soups, etc.
So, instead of grabbing a can of tomato paste or stewed tomatoes, I went to a freezer and grabbed a 1/2 full bag with about 7 frozen tomatoes.  Thawed in the microwave, drained a bit of the excess water and added to the veggies and broth.  Sliced with a fork and knife.

Add spices.

Add Beef back to pan.  Turn to simmer.  I am a lucky gal who has a wonderful cooktop that has a true simmer with a low simmer option.  That is what I turned on and walked away to do other activities in the house.  Checked back in about 1 hour and 45 minutes.

This was the final result - literally falling off the bone!

Whipped Potatoes can be checked out here!

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