Peppercorn Crusted Beef Roast

Bold, Patient, and Deeply Savored

There is something almost ceremonial about preparing a roast. The slow build of heat, the way a crust forms and darkens at the edges, the patience required to let time do what no amount of technique can rush. A peppercorn crust pressed into beef before it meets the oven feels like a quiet act of confidence — bold on the surface, yielding beneath. This is Sunday cooking at its most honest: unhurried, aromatic, and deeply satisfying in the way only long-cooked things can be.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons Alessi Ground Black Peppercorns
• 1/4 cups brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons Alessi Garlic Puree
• Alessi Sea Salt, to taste
• 2 tablespoons Alessi Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided
• 2-2 1/2 pounds beef top round roast, excess fat trimmed
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons Alessi Double Concentrated Tomato Paste
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon Alessi Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 1/2 cups red wine
• 1 1/2 cups beef stock

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325.
2. In a small bowl, combine peppercorns, brown sugar, garlic, and sea salt.
3. Place beef in roasting dish and brush with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
4. Rub with the peppercorn mixture.
5. Add an instant read thermometer into thickest part of beef and bake until desired doneness.
6. (For medium rare, the thermometer should read 135, medium 145 and medium-well 155.)
7. Remove roast when meat has reached desired temperature, cover with foil and let rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing.
8. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, heat remaining olive oil over medium heat.
9. Add onion and cook until soft and translucent.
10. Stir in tomato paste, Worcestershire, and balsamic vinegar until combined.
11. Add wine and beef stock.
12. Bring mixture to a boil then reduce heat to simmer and cook until liquid is reduced by half, stirring occasionally.
13. Serve sauce alongside the roast.