The Show-Stopping Holiday Roast

Need a holiday hand? We've got you covered with two straight weeks of Holiday Survival Recipes -- the ones you can rely on to keep your guests (and you) feeling festive.

Today: The Show-Stopping Holiday Roast

We understand that there's a lot of pressure surrounding the holidays. If the planning for the ultimate family dinner has got you down, we've got the main dish covered so you can take it off your plate: the show-stopping, jaw-dropping holiday roast.

This Roasted Prime Rib with Sautéed Mushrooms and Mom's Creamy Horseradish Sauce by Waverly is the only roast recipe you need in your arsenal. As biffbourgeois notes, the versatility of this roast offers each of your guests numerous choices of meat doneness, and the whipped horseradish sauce is a welcomed flavor that cuts through the juicy roast. Let's not forget about the absorbent mushrooms, which take up the savory Worcestershire with ease. 

The effortlessness of this roast is what really makes it a show-stopper -- your guests will never have to know just how easy it was to put together. However -- as Waverly points out -- if you need to hold your guests over while the roast finishes, you can always throw together a last-minute hors d'oeuvre and add a bit more champagne to that party punch bowl.

Roasted Prime Rib with Sautéed Mushrooms and Mom's Creamy Horseradish Sauce by Waverly

Serves 6-8

The Meat:

2 tablespoons kosher salt
3 teaspoons ground black pepper
3 cloves garlic
2 medium shallots
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
1/2 cup olive oil
1 (8lb) standing rib roast, trimmed (to multiply or divide the recipe,this translates to roughly 1 rib for every 2-3 people)

The Horseradish Sauce:

1 cup heavy cream
6 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 tablespoons grated horseradish

The Sautéed Mushrooms:

2 lbs mushrooms, washed, dried, and if large, chopped
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
6 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

See the full recipe (and save it and print it) here.

Photo by James Ransom