It’s the malleability of Christmas dinner that can make it so challenging to plan. Which is to say, choice can be intimidating.

At Thanksgiving, it’s about turkey. Valentine’s Day demands chocolate. Easter? Ham or lamb. And Fourth of July is burgers and dogs. But Christmas doesn’t enjoy a similar association that presets the menu.

When I was a kid, my mother often did ham. When I was a teenager, we switched to mountains of shrimp with butter. After I got married, we started eating Italian.

It wasn’t until a couple of years ago that I finally settled on something that not only was easy but also felt celebratory. A massive beef roast. Not earth shattering, of course. But for some reason it took nearly 40 years for me to reach this point. Tender and juicy, a roast feels indulgent. And when treated right, it can pack tons of flavor. But it also is utterly simple to prepare.

So I’m sharing my Christmas beef roast recipe, which gets intense savory flavors from a rub of fresh rosemary and cracked peppercorns. All you need to do is rub it on the meat and pop it in the oven. This recipe even makes its own side dish – butter-roasted potatoes that bathe in the juices of the meat.

Stephanie Earls photographed Wednesday, September 4, 2013. Photo by Mark Reis, The Gazette

MARK REIS