In my family, any opportunity to gather people and share a meal is always welcome. For Easter, or truly any occasion at all, here are several recipes that are certain to create a memorable meal.

Prime Rib Roast with a
Horseradish Crust

Ask your butcher for a “top-choice” cut; preferably ribs 12 through 10. Also ask the butcher to remove the backbone (for easier carving) and to french the bones.

1 (3-rib) prime rib beef roast, about 6 pounds
5 garlic cloves, smashed
1/4 cup prepared horseradish
2 fresh rosemary sprigs, stems removed
Leaves from 4 fresh thyme sprigs
1/2 cup sea salt or kosher salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 carrots, cut in chunks
2 potatoes, cut in chunks
1 red onion, quartered
1 head of garlic, halved

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lay the beef in a large roasting pan with the bone side down. (The ribs create a natural roasting rack.)

In a small bowl combine the smashed garlic cloves, horseradish, rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper, and olive oil to make a paste. Massage the paste generously over the entire roast. Place the carrots, potatoes, red onion and head of garlic in the roasting pan with the meat and drizzle with olive oil.

Roast the beef for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours for medium-rare (or approximately 20 minutes per pound). Use an instant-read thermometer to check the internal temperature; it should register 125 degrees 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. Discard the vegetables or save them for another use, such as soup.

Make a gravy from the pan juices, or serve the roast with Sherried Mushroom Sauce.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings