Rolled Veal Roast - Porcini Rubbed Awesomeness

This was one that scared me.  It's Halloween season, so it's only appropriate.  But cooking a roast, which used to be terrifying, is now no big deal.  But a veal roast?  Never tried that, and had no idea what to expect.  But thanks to Paulina Meat Market and a Food Network Magazine recipe found here, this was delicious and fun to make as well.

First, I started off with a 2.5 lb rolled veal shoulder roast, tied with kitchen string.  Following the recipe, I blended dried porcini mushrooms, fresh thyme, fresh rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper and blended it into a pasted.  After a quick rub down of olive oil, I rubbed the paste all over the veal roast, and seared it in a cast iron skillet on all sides for about 90 seconds per side.  It smelled awesome immediately.  I then put it right onto a rack in an oven set to roast at 375 degrees, with a drip pan underneath.  And I let that go for about 90 minutes, and tested the temperature until it said around 135 degrees.

While the veal was roasting, I prepared/cut yukon gold potatoes, fennel bulbs (that's a new one for me) and garlic.  In a warm shallow roasting pan, I tossed them all with olive oil, Kosher salt and black pepper, and then roasted those in an oven set to 350 degrees for 60 minutes.  Thank goodness for the double oven.  The timing worked brilliantly.  When the potatoes/fennel had about 10 minutes left of roasting, the veal hit its temperature.  Simply tenting the veal under foil while the vegetables finished was all I needed to go.  By the time I carved the veal, the vegetables had cooled and we were eating our feast.  And what a feast it was!  I love smells!  And I love tastes!  And this dish had them both in spades!

58 down, 3 to go!