Madame Audier's Roast ala ~DKBB~

Madame Audier’s Roast ala ~DKBB~

(original recipe from Madame Helen Audier, French and World History

Cody High School teacher, mentor, and friend extraordinaire)

1 4-to-5 lb. beef roast
2 cloves garlic, sliced
Kosher salt
Fresh cracked pepper
Veggies if desired (potatoes, carrots, onions, celery, cabbage*)

The secret to this scrumptious roast is the slow roasting; cooking time is 4 to 6 hours. Preheat oven to 260° F.

• Stab the meat randomly and insert garlic slices (do this on both/all sides of the roast).
• Salt and pepper all surfaces of the roast.
• Place the prepared roast in a roasting pan and put in oven uncovered.
• After 1½ hours, check the roast and adjust the temperature if needed (a larger roast may need a bit hotter oven – 275° F); add 1 cup water; cover and return to oven.
• Check hourly, adding water as needed.
• If you want to roast veggies with it, add them at least 2 hours before you expect the roast to be done). *Add the cabbage (if desired) about 1 hour (or less) before you expect the roast to be done.
• You can add cornstarch mixed with cold water to thicken the juice for gravy if desired, or just use the au jus as is.

Way back in the day, Madame used to make several of these roasts each year for basketball and/or wrestling districts in Cody, and the Broncettes pep club members would use them to make roast beef sandwiches to sell in the concession stand. I can remember coaches telling me they looked forward to districts in Cody because of Madame’s roast beef sandwiches. When I got married, Madame asked me what I would like for a wedding gift – I told her I wanted her roast beef recipe and her lemon meringue pie recipe (those pies were always the first to sell at the Broncette bake sales…for $10 each in the 1970s, they were THAT good!). She was kind enough to grant my wish (though it did take me about a year to decipher her handwriting…). The smell of this roast cooking all day fills the house and evokes Madame for me…it is one of my favorite dishes because of that.