We have mentioned before that we have certain meals that we always eat during the different holidays. On Christmas Day, we always have prime rib and Yorkshire pudding, which is typically an English tradition, but we have adopted it for ourselves. It is actually pretty easy to prepare and we usually find prime rib on sale, which makes it more economical for this special dinner. One of the best things about making prime rib are the sandwiches that you make with the leftovers during the following days, especially if you save the juice from the prime rib and make French Dip sandwiches. Last year, we were in Prague during Christmas, so we didn’t end up having prime rib, so we are looking forward to having it more than ever this year. We will be in Chicago visiting our youngest daughter for Christmas, so we will be leaving the cooking up to her. We are looking forward to seeing how she prepares our traditional dinner, but here is the recipe that we would normally prepare.

Ingredients

• 6 – 8 lb Prime Rib (3 or 4 ribs)
• 5 Garlic Cloves – minced
• 1/4 cup Prepared Horseradish
• 4 tbsp Fresh Rosemary – roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp Thyme
• 1/4 cup Sea Salt
• 1/8 cup Fresh Ground Black Pepper
• 1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 3/4 cup All Purpose Flour
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 3 Eggs
• 3/4 cup Whole Milk
• 1/2 cup Pan Drippings from the Prime Rib

Instructions

Stir together the flour and salt into a bowl.  In another bowl, beat together the eggs and milk.  Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until fully incorporated.  Stir in 1 tablespoon of Rosemary and 1 teaspoon of thyme.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the prime rib, bone side down, into a large roasting pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray.  In a small bowl, combine the garlic, horseradish, 3 tablespoons of the rosemary, 1 tablespoon of the thyme, sea salt, pepper, and olive oil.  Whisk the ingredients until it forms a paste (whisking instead of stirring allows the ingredients to bind together).  Generously rub the paste over the top (the fat cap) of the prime rib.  Roast the prime rib in the oven for 2 – 2 1/2 hours (approximately 20 minutes per pound) until it reaches an internal temperature of 125 degrees. Pull the roast from the oven and set it aside, tented, for 20 to 30 minutes to rest (cutting into the roast without letting it rest will cause the juices to run out and the prime rib to be dry).  Increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees.  Pour the pan drippings into a 9 inch square baking dish.  Place the baking dish into the oven for 5 minutes to get the drippings smoking hot.  Take the baking dish out of the oven, pull the batter out of the refrigerator, and add the cold batter to the pan drippings.  Place the pudding back into the oven and cook until puffed and dry, about 15 to 20 minutes.