Beef Sirloin Tip Roast with Roasted Vegetables

A couple of months ago we purchased quarter of beef from Bald Hill Farms.  We now have a whole chest freezer full of delicious grass-fed, free-range cuts of meat.  To buy high-quality meat like this in small quantities is not very cost-effective, so we decided to take the plunge and buy in bulk, saving money in the long run.  I still don't want to eat meat everyday, but I like supporting a local company and I like how they raise their animals.  They've dedicated part of their land to public hiking trails, so I can actually go on a hike and walk right by their pastures (and I have)!  Talk about knowing where your meat comes from!    

This was the first of the roasts we made, using a recipe from the weekly ad at our new Market of Choice.  Note to self: take the meat out of the freezer much sooner than you will need it to give it plenty of time to thaw!  I'm not sure it was as tender as it should have been, because it was still a bit frozen in the middle.  We kept the internal thermometer in so we could be sure it reached a safe temperature, but I'm afraid the outer parts cooked a bit longer than desired.  Still, the flavorings complimented the meat very nicely and we were very happy with it in the end.  We also roasted a large pan of local root veggies which were delicious.

We cooked a 5 pound roast instead of 3 pounds like it called for.  That gave us lots of leftovers to use in various ways throughout the week.  We had roast beef sandwiches, steak quesadillas, and my favorite, steak hash with a fried egg on top!  None of it went to waste.  I also had lots of leftover roasted veggies, along with some extras that wouldn't even fit on the pan, so about a week later (I didn't really want to wait a whole week, but I was too busy) I made a yummy pureed mixed vegetable soup.  I cooked the raw veggies first, then added the roasted veggies near the end.  

Beef Sirloin Tip Roast with Roasted Vegetables
adapted from Market of Choice
serves 6-8

Notes: The recipe calls for Sierra Nevada Autumn Ale, which I used and is delicious, however it's seasonal and might not be available in stores anymore.  But any good brown or amber ale will do.  

For the roast:
3 pound sirloin tip roast
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon smoked (Spanish) paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
pinch cayenne
1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
8 whole garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon whole black or tri-color peppercorns
2 bay leaves
1-12 ounce brown or amber ale (see note above)

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Heat the oil in a Dutch oven (or other type of roasting pot) over medium-high heat.  Combine the kosher salt, ground black pepper, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, dried oregano, and cayenne, and sprinkle generously all over the roast.  Brown the roast on all sides in the pot.  Add the onion, garlic, peppercorns, bay leaves, and the beer.  Bring to a simmer.  Transfer the pot to the oven and roast, uncovered, for about 1 hour, or until the internal temperature reaches 135 F (for medium rare).  Remove roast from oven and from pot, and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.  Serve with pan juices and roasted vegetables.  

For the roasted vegetables:
Use a mix of your favorite root or hard fall vegetables, such as pumpkin, squash, rutabaga, turnips, carrots, potatoes, and parsnips.  The amounts and types listed below are a suggestion; just deviate from it depending on what you like or what you have.    

2 pounds pumpkin or winter squash, peeled, seeded, and diced into 1-inch pieces
1 medium rutabaga, peeled and diced into 1-inch pieces
2 medium turnips, peeled and diced into 1-inch pieces
1 pound medium red potatoes, quartered
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
12 whole garlic cloves, peeled
1 yellow onion, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil (it actually calls for pumpkin seed oil, which might be good, but I didn't want to buy a special oil just for this)
Salt and pepper to taste

Toss all ingredients together on a baking sheet.  Roast in the oven at the same time as the meat for 40-50 minutes until softened and caramelized.  Serve immediately.