Roast Beef Sirloin with Caramelized Carrots and Potatoes

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SERVES 4

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS You don’t need a long list of ingredients to make a truly great roast beef dinner. We started with a top sirloin roast, which offers ultra-beefy flavor and a tender texture. After searing the roast for a nicely browned exterior, we moved it to a low oven so it could cook through gently and evenly. Finishing the beef in a super-hot oven guaranteed it had a nice crust that contrasted with the rosy, juicy interior. An easy compound butter, infused with fresh thyme, made the perfect finishing touch to our beef. Because no roast beef dinner is complete without some vegetables, we added carrots and potatoes to the mix and jump-started their cooking in the microwave before adding them to the pan to cook alongside the roast.

	Fresh thyme
2	tablespoons unsalted butter
1½	pounds red potatoes
1½	pounds carrots
1	(2-pound) boneless top sirloin roast
3	tablespoons vegetable oil

1. Mince 1 tablespoon thyme. Soften butter and stir in 1 teaspoon thyme, pinch salt, and pinch pepper. Place butter in center of piece of plastic wrap, shape into log, then wrap tightly. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

2. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 250 degrees. Cut potatoes into 1½-inch pieces. Peel carrots, halve lengthwise, and cut into 1½-inch pieces. Combine potatoes and carrots with ¼ cup water in large bowl, cover, and microwave until vegetables are mostly tender, about 10 minutes.

3. Trim fat on beef roast to ⅛ inch thick and tie roast at 1½-inch intervals with kitchen twine. Pat beef dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown beef well on all sides, 7 to 10 minutes; transfer to large roasting pan.

4. Drain vegetables well, toss with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and remaining 2 teaspoons thyme, and season with salt and pepper. Spread vegetables into roasting pan around beef. Roast beef and vegetables until meat registers 110 degrees, 50 to 55 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 500 degrees and continue to roast beef and vegetables until meat registers 120 degrees (for rare) to 125 degrees (for medium-rare), 10 to 15 minutes longer.

5. Transfer beef to carving board, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest for 15 minutes. Continue to roast vegetables until nicely browned, about 15 minutes. Remove twine from beef and slice ¼ inch thick. Unwrap butter, slice into 4 pieces, and place on top of beef. Serve with vegetables.