ROAST PRIME RIB WITH A MUSTARD-HERB CRUST
Serves 6

"This roast is coated with a simple herby, garlicky paste to add flavor to the meat (and to make your entire house smell fabulous). But you can just as well rub the meat with salt and freshly ground pepper and stick it in the oven like that. Ask your butcher to cut the roast from what they call “the small end,” where you’ll get the largest, most tender piece of meat. (You do have a butcher, right?) Have him remove the chine bone and cut between the ribs to make carving easier.

Serving roast prime rib is also an excellent excuse for making Yorkshire Pudding. Prepare the batter while the roast cooks, and refrigerate it. Then, while the roast is resting, you’ll have the oven free to bake the pudding."

1 (3-rib) rib roast, 6 to 7 pounds, chine bone removed
FOR THE MUSTARD GLAZE:
4 large garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup fresh rosemary needles, chopped
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Yorkshire Pudding (recipe follows)

TO PREPARE THE ROAST:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Place the roast in a large roasting pan with the bones facing down.

On a cutting board, use a fork to mash the garlic with the salt to make a paste. Put that in a small bowl and stir in the rosemary, pepper, mustard, vinegar, and oil. Smear that all over the meaty part of the roast (not the bones).

Then put the pan in the oven and roast for 15 minutes. Turn the heat down to 350 degrees F. and continue roasting until the meat registers 125 to 130 degrees F. (for rare meat) on an instant-read thermometer. This could take about 1 more hour for a 6-pound roast, or 1 hour and 20 minutes for a 7-pounder. (For medium rare, roast for an additional 10 minutes.) Remove from the oven and let stand at least 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the Yorkshire Pudding (recipe follows).

Lay the roast on its side (bones to one side, meaty section to the other) on a cutting board, preferably one that has an indented "gutter" around the edges for catching the juices. Holding the roast steady with a large fork, and cutting parallel to the cutting board with a large knife, cut the roast into slices. Figure on getting 2 slices from each rib–one with a bone and one without. Carve and serve with the juices and Yorkshire Pudding.

VARIATION:

SPICED PRIME RIB
(Barbecue Rub that replaces the Mustard Glaze)

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika or other ground chili, such as Ancho
4 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon Colman’s dry mustard
2 pinches ground allspice

In a small bowl, combine all the rub ingredients. Sprinkle the meat all over with the Barbecue Rub instead of the mustard glaze, and roast as in the recipe above.

YORKSHIRE PUDDING

"Yorkshire Pudding is a delicious English classic–the perfect side to prime rib. It’s really just a big popover that you make with a tiny bit of flavorful juices and fat from a roast (no need to tell your date about that latter ingredient). If you can get organized ahead of time, an easy way to make this batter is to combine all the ingredients except the juices in a blender and blend until smooth; let that sit in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before adding the juices and baking."

4 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
3/4 (.75) cup all-purpose flour
3/4 (.75)teaspoon kosher salt
4 tablespoons beef fat from a roast

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the milk and 1/4 cup water until frothy. Add the flour and salt and whisk just to combine.

When the roast is finished cooking, take it out of the oven and let it rest. Raise the oven temperature to 500 degrees F. Put the beef fat into a large (at least 13-inch) cast-iron pan and put it back in the oven to heat for 5 minutes. Then pour the batter into the pan and bake for 8 minutes. Reduce the heat to 400 degrees F. and cook until the pudding is puffed and browned, 10 more minutes.

Excerpted from The Food You Want to Eat by Ted Allen
Copyright © 2005 by Ted Allen. Excerpted by permission of Clarkson Potter, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.