Why you should be cooking eye of round

This time of year, home cooks are looking for efficiency, economy and flavor in the kitchen, and an eye-of-round roast is an exceptional means to an end. This is the cut of meat from which rosy roast beef derives, that centerpiece of Sunday suppers. But it’s more than that. Except for maybe ground beef, eye of round is one of the most convertible cuts around, slipping easily from roast beef one night into fajitas, beef stroganoff, salads, pasta dishes, soups or wraps the next. Here’s what you do: Buy a three-and-a half pound eye of round roast, dust it with the herbs and spices of your choice, and brown it quickly on all sides, no flour required. Roast it at 350 degrees for 35 minutes and let it rest for 20. Here’s an exceptional recipe http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/coriander-dusted-roast-beef by one of my favorite recipe developers, Food and Wine’s Grace Parisi. Keep in mind that you can buy small amounts of spices to doozy up your eye-of-round for, literally, pennies. Locally owned stores Red Stick Spice Company and Our Daily Bread both sell spices to order by the ounce, as does Whole Foods Market.