Horseradish and Garlic Crusted Prime Rib

Our first Christmas dinner alone and so I wanted to make it special. I came up with a menu for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving:  brie and onions appetizer, traditional Oplatki, creamed corn, sauteed mushrooms, asparagus, dinner rolls, roasted potatoes, and prime rib. Once this menu was settled it was literally all I could think about until we finally cooked everything up on Christmas day. This prime rib recipe was absolutely wonderful and the crust was quite tasty.

Ingredients:
1 (3-rib) prime rib beef roast, about 6 pounds
5 garlic cloves, smashed, plus 5 cloves garlic, halved
1/2 cup grated fresh or prepared horseradish
1/2 cup sea salt
1/4 cup freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 carrots, peeled and chopped (optional)
2 parsnips (optional)
1 red onion, halved
1 yellow onion, halved

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lay the beef in a large roasting pan with the bone side down. (The ribs act as a natural roasting rack.)
2. In a small bowl mash together the garlic, horseradish, salt, pepper, and olive oil to make a paste. Massage the paste generously over the entire roast.
3. Scatter the vegetables and halved garlic around the meat and drizzle them with a 2-count of oil.

4. Put the pan in the oven and roast the beef for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours for medium-rare (or approximately 20 minutes per pound). Check the internal temperature of the roast in several places with an instant-read thermometer; it should register 125 degrees F. for medium-rare. Remove the beef to a carving board and let it rest for 20 minutes. The internal temperature of the meat will continue to rise by about 10 degrees.

5. Remove the vegetables and set aside.
6. Slice the rib and enjoy! 

 Recipe adapted from FoodNetwork