You always remember your "firsts" - first kiss, first date, first day of school, first day on the job, but this "first" probably tops them all for me. Over the holidays I decided to go all out and make my first rib roast (in my new, "first" All-Clad roasting pan). New to the neighborhood, I hunted down my local butcher and secured a roast for Christmas Eve. This hefty 11-pound beauty was the apple of my eye, but at the same time, she scared me to death. Thinking to myself I said, "Maybe I should have test drove on a less-expensive cut of meat first." Oh well, there was no turning back now.

The next step was to find a recipe the that tickled my fancy. Luckily, that didn't take long; the October 2008 issue of Gourmet Magazine had a succulent rib roast on the cover - that would be the one. Reading the recipe over and over for days, I was ready for my big night. I spent the afternoon crushing peppercorns and digging out my finest bottle of olive oil to slather all over the meat, kosher salt and a little bit of love was all this recipe called for. Certainly, the intense flavor of the meat would shine if properly cooked.

Recipe and more after jump.

Cooking it for about two and a half hours to 110 degrees F, I crossed my fingers that after letting it sit, it would be medium rare inside. The Shun knives came out and the table was set. My father made the first cut into the meat and the smile on my face was from ear to ear, for my meat was pink and juicy from end to end. Relief was replaced with the impressively flavorful taste of success.

Salt and Pepper Crusted Rib Roast

• 1 (4-rib) standing beef rib roast (bone-in prime rib; 9 to 10 pounds), at room temperature 1 hour
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1/3 cup mixed peppercorns (pink, white and green)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F with rack in middle.

Rub roast all over with oil, then sprinkle all over with kosher salt. Coarsely crush peppercorns in a folded kitchen towel (not terry cloth) with a meat pounder or bottom of a heavy skillet. Coat meat on all sides with peppercorns, pressing to help them adhere.

Roast on a rack in a 13- by 9-inch roasting pan 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F and roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into center of meat (do not touch bone) registers 110 degrees F, 1 1/2 to 2 hours more. Transfer to platter and let rest, uncovered, 30 minutes (temperature of meat will rise to about 130 degrees F for medium-rare).

Gourmet Magazine, October 2008 by Ian Knauer