Dan Mayo's Standing Rib Roast

The British are coming! The British are coming! Well, not really. Our favorite former expats, Dan and Jenn Mayo are back Stateside from London and they hosted us for New Years Even dinner in their super cute Brooklyn Heights apartment. When I first walked into the apartment, the most beautiful sight caught my eyes. Dan had a standing rib roast sitting out on the counter and I couldn't take my eyes off of it. I knew that I was in for something really fantastic and I cant tell you how very right I was. I must say...it is much nicer to sit back, drink wine, take pictures, and watch other people cook for a change. Don't worry, we didn't eat the beef alone. Mrs. Mayo whipped up the perfect side dish that I will share tomorrow.
Dan Mayo's Standing Rib Roast
Ingredients:
Standing Rib Roast (1 rib per 2 people but no less than 3 ribs)
salt and pepper
olive oil

1. First give your roast a good once over. You want the fat to be about 1/4 inch thick, so if you see it much thicker than that in any areas, trim it down with a sharp knife. Then tie the roast with kitchen string in both directions so that the roast will retains its shape while you cook it. It is so gorgeous and you don't want it morphing into some indistinguishable hunk of beef. Let sit out of fridge for 2-3 hours until room temperature throughout.
Obviously a Standing Rib Roast is a ritzy cut of beef so it is ideal for special occasions (like New Years and/or Mark visiting). Dan suggests that you have the butcher loosen the bone on the roast so that it is easier to slice and serve the cooked ribs. Also, you are going to serve it rare so you don't want to mess around when you are buying this bad boy. Go to a reputable butcher and have them hook you up with something nice. Mark's visiting, after all!

2. Sprinkle olive oil and rub to make a light coating over the rib. Salt (light) and pepper (generous). Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
3. Place the roast into the over and cook for 15 minutes.
4. Reduce the temperature to 325 degrees and cook until internal temperature reaches 120-125 (we did 125) for rare, which is really how you should serve this piece of meat. About 90-120 min for 3 rib roast.
5. Let stand 30 min before carving
Am I alone in thinking that this is one of the more beautiful sights to be seen in the kitchen? Thanks Dan!