Sunday Beef Rib Roast

• 1  recipe  Herb-Bacon Topper, recipe below
• 1  4- to 5-lb.  beef rib roast (chin bone removed)
• 1  teaspoon  cracked black peppercorns
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1  lb.  baby carrots with tops, trimmed
• 1  lb.  small red potatoes (halve any large potatoes)
• 3  to 4 cups  baby spinach
• 1  15-ounce can  butter beans, rinsed and drained

Directions

1. Prepare Herb-Bacon Topper. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Sprinkle beef roast with cracked pepper, salt, and half of the Herb-Bacon Topper (refrigerate remaining topper and reserved bacon pieces until ready to use). Place meat, bone side down, in a shallow roasting pan. Insert an oven-safe meat thermometer into center of roast.
2. Roast, uncovered, for 45 minutes. Arrange carrots and potatoes around roast and toss to gently coat. Roast 1 to 1-1/4 hours more or until meat thermometer registers 135 degrees F for medium-rare. Sprinkle meat with remaining Herb-Bacon Topper; cover and let stand for 15 minutes. Temperature of meat after standing should be 145 degrees F. Push meat and carrots to one side of pan. Stir spinach and beans into drippings in other side of pan; sprinkle with reserved bacon pieces. Makes 10 servings.
Herb-Bacon Topper: Cook 4 slices of bacon until crisp; drain on paper towels. Chop half the bacon; stir in 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme and 1-1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary. Break remaining half of the bacon into pieces to sprinkle into the spinach and beans before serving.