Serves a Crowd

Roasted Prime Rib with Sauteed Mushrooms and Mom's Creamy Horseradish Sauce

by:
October  5, 2011
4.5
8 Ratings
Roasted Prime Rib with Sauteed Mushrooms and Mom's Creamy Horseradish Sauce
Photo by James Ransom
  • Prep time 24 hours
  • Cook time 2 hours 40 minutes
  • Serves 6 to 8
Author Notes

Standing rib roast is the perfect choice for very special occasions. It is also surprisingly easy to cook. You will spend more time making your house look nice than cooking. This is my mother's recipe. She makes it for our Christmas dinner every year. The biggest challenge is calculating the cooking time so that the meat is ready when you are. Just in case, have some nice hor d'oeuvres and champagne to hold everyone over.
"And the minute his heart didn't feel quite so tight, He whizzed with his load through the bright morning light And he brought back the toys! And the food for the feast! And he...HE HIMSELF...! The Grinch carved the roast beast!"
How The Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss - waverly —Waverly

Test Kitchen Notes

This roast turns out beautifully moist and juicy. There is a nice variety of degrees of doneness from the edges to the center, so there is something for every guest at your table. The whipped cream sauce is a nice complement; the thickness and texture of whipped cream is a great vehicle for the horseradish, giving a kick that compliments the meat. Add lemon juice to taste to perfect the sauce. Don't skip the mushrooms. I loved the addition of Worcestershire -- the perfect little bit of something salty. - biffbourgeois —Stephanie Bourgeois

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • FOR THE MEAT:
  • 2 tablespoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
  • 3 teaspoons ground black pepper
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 2 medium shallots
  • 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)
  • FOR 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
  • FOR THE SAUTEED MUSHROOMS:
  • 2 pounds mushrooms, washed, dried, and if large, chopped
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 6 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Directions
  1. MARINATE: In a food processor, place salt, pepper, garlic, shallots, rosemary, thyme, and olive oil. Pulse until combined. Place the roast bone-side down in a large pan and pour the marinade over it. Rub as much as you can into every crevasse. Cover and refrigerate 4 to 24 hours.
  2. ROAST: Remove the meat and let it come to room temperature, about 1 hour before you plan to put it into the oven. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 550° F and place the rack in the center. Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the roast. When the oven is ready, place the roast, uncovered, into the oven. Immediately reduce the oven temperature to 350. Cook until the thermometer registers 125 degrees, about 15-20 minutes per pound, or 2 1/2 hours for an 8 lb roast. Check the temperature of the meat in several other places. A range of 125-155 will give you a good variety of doneness. Cover the roast with foil and let it rest on the counter at least 15 minutes before carving.
  3. MAKE THE SAUCE : You can do this while the meat cooks. In a medium bowl, beat cream until stiff. With the mixer on, add lemon juice, salt, paprika, cayenne and horseradish. Chill until ready to serve.
  4. SAUTE THE MUSHROOMS: Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add the butter and olive oil. When the butter foams, give the pan a shake and then add the mushrooms, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic. Toss the mushrooms until brown, about 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss with parsley and then place in a serving dish.
  5. CARVE: Slice the first piece between the ribs, close to the bone. Cut the second piece half way to the next bone and so on and so on giving each person basically half of the meat between the ribs.
  6. SERVE: Top with sauteed mushrooms and whipped horseradish sauce. Garnish with fresh parsley.
Tags:
Contest Entries

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Noel Brinkley
    Noel Brinkley
  • Stephanie Pazoles
    Stephanie Pazoles
  • slidedtd
    slidedtd
  • MsDivinaLoca
    MsDivinaLoca
  • tara.noland.5
    tara.noland.5
Waverly
Waverly used to be a lawyer and is now a mother 24/7. She has made a commitment to cooking for her family and absolutely loves it even when her family does not. She is teaching them, one meal at a time, to enjoy wholesome homemade food. She abhors processed food but recognizes its insidious nature and accepts the fact that her children will occasionally get some Skittles, Doritos, or the like. Her philosophy and hope is that if she teaches them well at home, they will prefer wholesome healthy foods when they go out into the world without her.

Popular on Food52

31 Reviews

Noel B.
Noel B. December 2, 2024
Ditto my review from 2020. I did an 8lb. this year for Thanksgiving and it was a HUGE hit! I may have to make it again for Christmas! It's THAT good!
 
Noel B.
Noel B. December 25, 2020
12.25.2020
Made this according to the recipe and I have to say, it was PERFECT. I cooked a bit longer (~ 2 hrs. for a 6lb. roast) but the temp. registered 126F when I took it out of the oven and it got up to 138 while it rested for about 20 mins. Great variations of doneness from rare to medium well depending on the depth of the cut but it was superbly juicy throughout! We will make this again at some point in 2021. Can't wait for leftovers tomorrow with some remaining au-jus, a baguette, caramelized onions and some brie!
 
Pat T.
Pat T. December 22, 2019
The mushroom recipe is close to what I make. I add about a teaspoon full of shallots or sweet onions chopped fine. Then just before taking off the stove, a shake or two of tabasco sauce...this mushroom recipe is also good on bruschetta as an appetizer.
 
Picot
Picot December 15, 2017
This has become my go to Christmas Eve main course. Everyone loves it, and it is so easy when there are so many other distractions.
 
Becky
Becky November 29, 2016
This recipe works for prime rib, doesn't it? Thanks
 
Becky
Becky December 16, 2017
So sorry, misread the recipe.
 
Stephanie P.
Stephanie P. February 6, 2016
I have made this twice and it is amazing! I love to cook ad this is one of my FAVORITE recipes for prime rib! Onee our best friends who is strictly "meat and potatoes" said it was perfect! Thanks for sharing.
 
Carlynn H.
Carlynn H. January 15, 2014
I made this for Christmas dinner. I used my new convection oven (second outing); also, the guests were really late and so the roast rested for over an hour. Not sure if that was why, or if the time/temperature was off (I took it out at 125 degrees), but it ended up very well done. But it was still delicious—really moist and good!
 
moseceltic
moseceltic December 30, 2013
Made this for Xmas dinner and found the roast wonderful, the mushrooms tasty and the horseradish sauce underwhelming for those of us who like the tang and punch of prepared horseradish. I added twice the amount of freshly grated called for and it was still much too mild.
 
slidedtd
slidedtd December 25, 2013
I am currently marinating this! Has anyone tried browning at end vs high heat beginning? A lot of rib roast recipes I was browsing suggested 450 for half hour then finishing for 45-60 min at 350...getting nervous as time nears where I need to throw this in oven!!
 
suzerchef
suzerchef December 25, 2013
We always went for 275 for more even redness through the meat - at 350, you will get more browning around edge with lovely pink inside. Up to you. Try a broil at end if you don't use high heat at first.
 
easycook
easycook December 11, 2013
Thanks luvtocook, that sounds like a delicious solution.
 
Luvtocook
Luvtocook December 11, 2013
It seems to me that rather than use whipping cream and lemon, the sauce could be made with sour cream plus the rest of the listed ingredients. I always make horseradish sauce with sour cream.
 
MsJoanie
MsJoanie December 11, 2013
Oh, but the whipping cream gives it a really wonderful mouthfeel (like melting butter) and the lemon is far tangier than sour cream. It really was a delightful sauce. The lemon is quite distinct.
 
easycook
easycook December 30, 2012
Made this for Christmas dinner and was overall delicious but we found the horseradish sauce way to lemony. Didn't have more horseradish so adjusted it with some mustard and worked OK but wondering if anyone else had this problem.
 
MsJoanie
MsJoanie January 4, 2013
I also found the horseradish sauce quite lemony but absolutely loved that aspect of it.
 
MsJoanie
MsJoanie December 26, 2012
Made this yesterday for Christmas dinner and am AMAZED at how wonderful it turned out. The marinade makes the meat beautifully flavored throughout, better than any other prime rib I've ever had, or made previously. The horseradish cream is perfection, although it made far more than we needed so I think it could be easily halved or quartered, depending on the size of your roast. The mushrooms didn't add anything for my tastes, but everyone else at the table loved them. Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
 
Waverly
Waverly December 26, 2012
I am so glad you enjoyed it.
 
suzerchef
suzerchef December 16, 2012
To comment, try the stovetop browning (recipe came from J. Pepin). This eliminates the high heat initially to brown the roast. And an oven takes a long time to go from high to medium or low heat. So by eliminating the high heat initially, you will have more even cooking through the meat, rather than the outside being more done than the interior. It would be interesting to try the high-heat blast at the end, if not using the initial browning.
 
Deb W.
Deb W. December 16, 2012
I'm guessing that I may not be alone in that the highest temperature my oven goes to is 500 degrees, any suggestions on how to adjust for this? The recipe sounds divine!
 
MsDivinaLoca
MsDivinaLoca December 16, 2012
Is there any advantage with this method the low heat, slow roast with a short high-heat blast at the end method?
 
suzerchef
suzerchef December 16, 2012
Horseradish sauce sounds very good.
I believe, tho, a standing rib roast is not the same as a prime rib. This recipe is good for either. Another way I recently prepared a prime is to brown it quickly over high heat on stovetop, right in the roasting pan, the put browned ribs into 250 oven and cook for 1/2 hr per #. Check for doneness. Ours was done (we thought overdone) 1 hour before, so we rested it longer - it was perfect. Only problem with this way is that there is less fond to work with. Johnny's AuJus works well for a sauce.
 
Laurelb
Laurelb December 11, 2012
Love the looks of this recipe. Not a huge fan of rosemary or thyme. What would you suggest I use instead?
 
tara.noland.5
tara.noland.5 December 10, 2012
What an amazing looking roast. We have included you in our Mouth Watering Mondays. Come on over to see at www.noshingwiththenolands.com Cheers, Tara
 
cheffgod
cheffgod September 30, 2012
On the site for the first time , lovin it !!! Some good recipes keep em coming