Oven-Roasted Rib Roast With Gratin Potatoes

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. Combine salt, pepper and garlic powder in a small bowl. Generously dust all sides of the roast with dry spices.
3. Place onions, carrots, celery and garlic in bottom of heavy roasting pan. Add roast, fat side up on top of vegetables. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes until a nice crust has developed. Reduce heat to 300°F and pour ½ cup of chicken stock (just enough to wet the vegetables) into pan and return to oven.
4. Check temperature with a digital thermometer after 1 hour. Remove the roast and move to a platter when temperature reaches 115-120°F for medium-rare or 125-130°F for medium (temperature will rise another 10 degrees). Cover with foil to rest for 30 minutes before slicing.

Pan sauce:

1. Remove vegetables from pan and place in blender.
2. Drain excess oil from pan and de-glaze the pan with red wine, scraping up any cooked bits. Add the remaining chicken stock and simmer for 10 minutes. Allow sauce to cool a bit and add to blender. Blend until smooth, adding hot water if needed to thin.
3. Taste for seasonings and adjust if needed.

Potato gratin:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
2. Combine cream with salt, pepper, nutmeg, minced garlic and half of Gruyere cheese.
3. Pour ½ cup of mixture into a 3-quart shallow casserole and spread to cover dish.
4. Add potatoes into bowl with remaining cream sauce and stir to cover all the slices. Layer or shingle potatoes into casserole and top with remaining Gruyere and grated Parmesan cheese.
5. Cover casserole with foil and bake for 40 minutes.
6. Remove foil and bake uncovered 10 to 15 minutes until the cream boils and the potatoes begin to brown.

*Any root vegetable can be used in this dish or a combination of your favorites. Feel free to substitute sweet potatoes, turnips, parsnips, rutabaga, or onions.