With Christmas just around the corner, it’s time to start planning your grand festive menu. Pierneef à la Motte is no stranger to good food, thanks to talented head chef Michelle Theron. If you’re looking for an impressive, yet easy, main course, then your search ends here. This Grass Fed Beef Prime Rib may look daunting, but it really isn’t, it just requires a little heavy lifting. It’s served with a Cape Chamomile and Rosemary butter, along with potatoes and sweet potatoes that have been luxuriously roasted in bone marrow. Give your guests a really memorable Christmas meal this year and serve this beautiful cut of meat with all the trimmings.

Grass Fed Beef Prime Rib on the Bone with Cape Chamomile and Rosemary Butter, Potato and Sweet Potato roasted in Bone Marrow

Serves: 12
Difficulty: easy
Preparation time: 30-40 minutes
Cooking time: 60-90 minutes

Beef Prime Rib
A 6-bone grass fed beef prime rib (1 bone serves 2 portions)
Maldon salt and coarsely ground black pepper
12 x 12 cm marrow bones (ask your butcher to cut them in half lengthwise, yielding 24 halves)

Cape Chamomile and Rosemary Butter
250 g unsalted butter, room temperature
5 sprigs rosemary, washed and finely chopped
5 sprigs Cape chamomile, washed and finely chopped
2 drops Cape chamomile essential oil (if you do not have Cape camomile substitute with more rosemary)
1 handful Italian parsley, washed and finely chopped
2 Tbsp (30 ml) capers, chopped
2 Tbsp (30 ml) red onion, diced
zest and juice of 1 lemon
pinch of salt and black pepper

Potatoes
1 kg baby potatoes, washed
1 kg sweet potatoes, washed
salt
olive oil
Maldon salt

Beef Prime Rib
Remove the prime rib from the fridge at least 3 hours before cooking to ensure an even cooking time.

Preheat the oven to 220 °C.

Trim any excess fat from the bones and make sure they are clean. Wrap each bone in heavy duty foil, to prevent them from burning during the cooking process.
Pat the roast dry, season with salt and coarse black pepper. Place on a rack on a roasting tray and place in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes to brown.

Once the roast has browned nicely, reduce the oven temp to 180 °C and roast the meat for about 1 hour and 15 minutes for medium rare. I recommend using a meat thermometer to ensure that your roast is cooked properly – 50-55 °C would be a medium roast. Once the correct temperature is reached, remove the roast from the oven and place on a tray to rest for 15 to 30 minutes before carving.

Cape Chamomile And Rosemary Butter
While the beef rib is roasting prepare the Cape chamomile and rosemary butter. Place all of the ingredients for the butter in a mixing bowl and mix well with a spatula. Spoon into a serving dish and cover with cling film. Leave at room temperature so that the butter remains spreadable.

Potatoes
Place the baby potatoes in a heavy based saucepan, cover with cold water, add salt and bring to the boil. Once the potatoes are cooked, remove from the saucepan and set aside to cool. Drizzle with olive oil and season with Maldon salt.

Grill the baby potatoes whole in a hot griddle pan to obtain a lovely smoky grilled flavour.

Slice the sweet potatoes into 2-3 cm rings and place into the baking tray from which your roast was removed, with all the roast drippings. Add the grilled baby potatoes to the tray.

Scoop the marrow out of 12 of the marrow bone halves, chop up and sprinkle over the potato and sweet potato. Season with salt and pepper and roast at 180 °C until the sweet potatoes are cooked and golden brown. Halfway through the cooking process, add the other 12 marrow bones halves to roast with the sweet potato and potatoes.

To serve
Once the meat has properly rested, place the prime rib together with the marrow bones, potatoes and sweet potatoes on a serving platter. Serve the Cape chamomile and rosemary butter on the side.

Recommended wine: 2013 La Motte Cabernet Sauvignon

Love the way this all comes together? Stop by the beautifully curated La Motte Farm Shop and pick up these gorgeous goodies.

01: Shiraz Salt

Red meat and red wine go hand-in-hand, that’s a given. This Shiraz salt adds a mild savoury note to food, and in addition to using it on this amazing roasr, you can pretty much season everything with it. Delicious. R70.

02: La Motte Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

A serious piece of meat like this needs a serious wine and La Motte’s 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon is more than up for the challenge. Expect a rich, full bodied, yet softened tannins and notes of plums and blackcurrants. You’re definitely going to want to have a couple of bottles of this at the ready. R115. Order yours online HERE.

03: Pewter Wine Stopper

On the odd chance that you don’t end up finishing a bottle of wine (hey! It happens sometimes!) then keep it fresh in style with this branded wine stopper. R195.

04: Wine Bottle Coaster

Want to avoid red wine drips and look impossibly chic at the same time? Of course you do. This coaster will keep your bottle sitting pretty on your table. R459.

05: Herb Scissors

These are a very thoughtful gift for anyone who’s going to be spending lots of time cooking with fresh herbs from the garden this season.  If you’re the one cooking up a storm this season then these will be perfect for you. Treat yourself. R79.

Read more about Chef Michelle Theron HERE.

Click for the other recipes in this series All Spice fruit and Nut Bread Wreath and Whole Baked Franshhoek Trout.

 

la-motte.com | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram