Before doing anything else, you will need to take your roast out of the fridge and let it sit out for about an hour. This will allow the roast to cook more quickly and evenly. I like to pat the roast with dry paper towels and cover it on all sides with salt (kosher or pink) while it sits. The salt will draw out moisture from the outer layer allowing it to brown beautifully. Please do not skip this step of letting your roast sit out! After an hour, preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Now pat the roast again with paper towels, removing the moisture the salt has drawn out. In a small bowl, combine softened butter, rosemary, thyme and salt and pepper and mix well. Add the garlic, carrots, onion and celery to a roasting pan. Season with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil and toss so all pieces are evenly coated, then make a space in the middle of the pan, leaving a few veggies to act as a barrier between the meat and the pan. Place the roast in the middle of the pan and spread the herbed butter all over the top and sides of the roast. Place in the oven and roast for 25 minutes. Then turn the oven down to 325 and continue cooking for about 90 min. I like mine to be a lovely medium rare but follow this chart for your preferred doneness. Keep in mind that the roast will need to rest for at least 10 min but will continue to cook, bringing the internal temp up 5 more degrees. So for my med rare to medium, I took it out of the oven at 135 degrees. Rare (cool red center) 125Med Rare (warm red center) 135Medium (warm pink center) 145Med Well (slightly pink center) 150Well Done (no pink) 160A top round roast is really tender and flavorful at medium rare or medium and although I recommend this temp, it is your world so do as you wish. I like to use one of those digital meat thermometers that beep when the internal temp reaches your setting. Really takes the guess work out and you don't have to keep opening the oven and losing heat, etc. Here is a link of the one I use:https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017613C3C/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1Ok, ok, now, the meat is where you want it so take it out of the oven, loosely tent it with some foil and LET IT REST. Do not cut right into this sucker! Let it rest.While it is resting, let's make us a fabulous Brussels sprout side dish!
For the Brussels Sprouts
Heat a cast iron skillet or heavy bottomed pan over medium heat. Add bacon and cook for a few minutes until it is mostly cooked through. Add butter and Brussels Sprouts and stir together. Do not stir for a few minutes to allow the sprouts to brown on the outside. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, stir and continue cooking until soft. Taste your veggies and decide if you need any more salt or pepper.
Carving and Plating
Now that your roast has rested, you can begin to slice it up! Take care to slice against the grain so it stays super tender. Serve it with the roasting veggies and Brussels Sprouts and don't forget to spoon some of the pan drippings over the meat. Enjoy!!!