When ever I make this for dinner my boys are at the table waiting when I bring it to the table. Truth be told it is the same meal my mother would often make for us when I was growing up except she used a different cut of beef for the roast.
In the last several years Tri-Tip has become a perennial California favorite. It grills well in the summer months but cooks up just as tender when roasted in the oven. It is a tender, well marbled cut of meat; and the fat gives it a great flavor. It is smaller and thinner on the ends and thicker in the middle. This makes it the most perfect cut of meat since the ends cook quicker and turn out more well done than the center of the piece. You can cook one roast and please everyone; from those that want their meat rarer to those that want it cooked well done. It’s quite the versatile cut of meat.
Truth be told this is one of the easiest meals on my rotation, and requires almost no meal prep in the kitchen. The only drawback is that it will take a good hour and a half to get this meal on the table. Keep reading to find out how easy it is to make this meal for your family!
Start by preheating the oven to 375 degrees. Wash the potatoes and stab them several time with a fork. Don’t skip this step! It allows the steam to escape when cooking, forgoing this step may result in a potato exploding in the oven. It’s happened to me before, I put 4 potatoes in the oven, and when the timer went off, I only had 3?
Get the potatoes going in the oven, and set the timer for 30 minutes.
Get a large pot of water going on the stove top. While you are waiting for the water to begin boiling, prepare the Artichokes. Cut the stem off at the base. Using a serrated knife cut off the top inch of the artichoke. Use your scissors to cut the sharp pointy tip off of any remaining leaves on the artichoke.
Drop prepared artichokes in the water and once the water starts to boil, cover and cook for 45 minutes to an hour, until nice and tender.
Now that you have the potatoes going, and the artichokes cooking it’s time to get that Tri-Tip ready for the oven. Season the Trip-tip roast liberally with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Place on a roasting pan. Slide the seasoned Tri-tip roast into the oven to cook along with the potatoes for another 45 minutes.
When the timer goes off, remove Tri-tip from the oven and allow it to rest on a cutting board for 10 minutes before carving it.
To serve, slice Tri-Tip into 1/2 inch thick slices, cutting it against the grain. Serve potatoes with butter and sour cream and the artichokes with mayo for dipping.
The most difficult part of the meal is getting the timing right so everything is done around the same time. If you do this meal in the order I outlined above you will get everything to the table piping hot all at the same time for your family to enjoy.
Tomorrow I will show you what you can do with any leftover Tri-tip when I share one of my favorite left-over, make-over recipes. Enjoy!