Herb-rubbed Roast Beef

Holiday parties often call for feeding crowds all at once, so this year we offer a main course that makes that easy.

For a beef option, we challenged ourselves to transform a thrifty, low-cost cut of beef into a lush, celebratory meal. The answer was eye round, a roast often deemed too lean to be tender. To roast this tough cut and get succulent, perfectly cooked results, we marinated the meat in ingredients that would do the work for us -- starting with a sticky, sweet puree of prunes. That may sound unusual, but prunes are high in hygroscopic sorbitol and fructose, which -- along with salt and soy sauce -- amplify the way the meat absorbs flavour.

The sugars in the prunes and ketchup create a nicely caramelised crust, while the salt and soy sauce provide seasoning that flavours the meat. Anchovies also may be unexpected, but they add rich umami notes.

Start to finish: 23/4 hours, plus 48 hours to marinate

Servings: 10

A prune-based marinade helped us transform an economical eye round into a tender and juicy roast. To boost the marinade's effect, we trim the silver skin and also poke the meat repeatedly with a fork. The roast beef tasted best after marinating for 48 hours, but 24 will work, too. Serve thinly sliced with fresh horseradish sauce for a clean, contrasting bite.

Don't check the roast too frequently. A succulent roast relies on even cooking at a low temperature; opening the oven door interrupts the process. Instead, use an oven-safe thermometer (the type that can be left in the roast as it cooks) to monitor the meat's temperature during cooking.

INGREDIENTS

8 ounces pitted prunes (about 11/2 cups)

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup ketchup

2 tablespoons black peppercorns

2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh rosemary

2 tablespoons fresh thyme

3 oil-packed anchovy fillets

Kosher salt

5- to 6-pound beef eye round roast, trimmed of silver skin

Fresh horseradish sauce, to serve (optional)

DIRECTIONS

In a food processor, blend the prunes, soy sauce, ketchup, peppercorns, rosemary, thyme, anchovies and 4 teaspoons salt until smooth, about 1 minute. Transfer to a 2-gallon zip-close bag. Poke the roast all over with a fork, then place in the bag. Turn to coat, then seal the bag and refrigerate for 48 hours.

Heat the oven to 275degF with a rack in the middle position. Set a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet. Remove the roast from the bag and transfer to the rack. Discard the marinade in the bag and brush any marinade clinging to the roast's surface into an even coating. Roast until the centre of the meat registers 125degF, 13/4 hours to 2 hours.

Transfer the roast to a carving board, tent with foil and let rest for 30 minutes. Thinly slice and serve with the horseradish sauce, if desired.