Roast beef a comforting winter dish

Roast beef conjures up different images to different people. If you are British, you might think of the Sunday roast that is served with Yorkshire pudding, which hardly a pudding in the American style.

Basically it is eggs, flour and milk, a sort of pop over, but whatever you call it, it is something good with which to sop up the gravy.

Beef is expensive, particularly the good stuff, USDA Prime.

Our French friends made roast beef famous with the recipe that is now associated with Julia Child and her version of boeuf bourguignon.

If you are an Anthony Bourdain fan, then you aspire to his cote de boeuf served with a old-school béarnaise sauce, but there is a fundamental difference in the two recipes.

Boeuf bourguignon is cooked low and slow for a falling apart, and quite delicious, beef stew.

Bourdain's recipe calls for a much more expensive cut of beef, and it would be served quite pink and not falling-apart tender.

If you are from the Gulf Coast, your favorite rendition of roast beef might be found in the classic, and messy, roast beef po-boy. The bread part, just like the Yorkshire pudding, is the perfect device for capturing the gravy, and still holding it all together, but this dish is best eaten with a knife and fork.

If you want to be frugal, serve the better part of the roast beef to your family one night, and the next serve the leftovers as a stew. If you have Southern roots, serve that stew over homemade cornbread that has been well buttered. No one will tire of beef two nights in a row.

CLASSIC ROAST BEEF

If you want to make a killer po-boy, this is the recipe you should use. Remember never cook with a wine that you would not drink.

Beef top sirloin roast

Salt and pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary

4 cloves chopped garlic

2-3 tablespoons butter

2-3 tablespoons oil

1 large chopped onion

1/2 cup red wine

1 cup beef stock

Combine the salt, pepper, thyme, rosemary and garlic into a thick rub. Apply it liberally over

the beef, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Bring the beef to room temperature. Melt the butter in a pan, add the oil and heat until smoking. Spoon on the hot oil mixture over the beef until the meat is well seared. Combine the onion, wine and stock in a roasting pan, add the seared beef and roast the beef at 250 degrees until the internal temperature is 120 degrees. Remove the beef and let rest. Add the drippings, wine, and stock to a sauce pan and reduce until thick. Add a little butter if you like. Thin slice the beef, garnish with gravy and serve as a main course, or for a killer po-boy. If serving as a po-boy, garnish with tomatoes, lettuce and a fair amount of mayonnaise.

LEFT OVER BEEF STEW

This recipe makes a good argument for buying a beef roast that is larger than your family can eat in one serving. Leftover roast beef has a lot of applications, but this is one of the best.

1 pound leftover roast beef

1 chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped bell pepper

2-3 carrots

1-2 cups cubed potato

1 chopped onion

4-6 cloves chopped garlic

4 cups beef stock (plus pan drippings from the roast)

Salt and pepper

Optional glass of red wine

Using a heavy and deep-sided pot, add the onions, chopped carrots, and bell pepper and a bit of oil, season aggressively with pepper and sauté for 10 minutes. If you want to use the wine, add it now. Add the celery and cook a few minutes more, and finally add the garlic, now cook just 2 minutes more. Add the stock and potato then bring to a simmer. Taste and season as necessary. Simmer for 10 minutes, then add the beef, cut into big bite size cubes and simmer for 30 more minutes. When the carrots and potatoes are tender, it is done.

SHEPHERD'S PIE

This is a quick version of the recipe, using leftover roast beef, frozen peas and leftover mashed potatoes. If you want to make the beef stew from scratch, there is nothing wrong with that. You could also use a greater variety of vegetables, such as string beans, corn and diced potatoes. Use your imagination or just be guided by what's fresh at the farmers market.

1 pound left over roast beef, cut into cubes

1 cup chopped carrots

1 bell pepper chopped pepper

1/4 cup chopped celery

1 can whole tomatoes

1 cup frozen peas

2-3 cups leftover mashed potatoes

2-3 cans beef stock

2-3 tablespoons butter

Salt and pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Sauté the carrots, bell pepper and celery in a little oil, season aggressively. Add the beef stock and tomatoes and simmer until it thickens a bit. Add the beef, and peas and simmer for 10 minutes. If the stock is not thick enough, add 1-2 tablespoons of corn starch diluted with cold water. Be careful and don't overdo it. If you use too much corn starch you will have glue. Add the beef to a oven-proof casserole dish, top with the mashed potatoes, dot with butter and bake for 20-30 minutes. The potatoes should just start to brown, remove and let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Julian Brunt, who comes from a family with deep Southern roots, writes the Coast Cooking column that appears in Wednesday's Taste section.

This story was originally published February 18, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Roast beef a comforting winter dish."