Roasting Beef...I'm a little nervous

I am going to attempt to roast an expensive cut of beef on the weekend for guests; this is not my strength in the kitchen.

Unlike braising, where meat is slow-cooked in a liquid and is overcooked almost by definition, roasting is a dry-heat, rapid method of cooking. Luckily, I have picked up some roasting tips from one of my favourite magazines, (the LCBO's Food and Drink).

- remove the roast from the refrigerator for at least 1/2 hour before cooking

- always roast meat or poultry on a rack placed in a roasting pan. This allows the heat to circulate more evenly and will allow the bottom of the roast to brown without having to turn it. (Most roasting pans that you purchase will contain their own custom-fitted rack).

- don't cover the meat or poultry with a lid or tin-foil while roasting unless the roast is becoming overly brown and you want to stop it from browning further. Covering the roast essentially starts a steaming process.

- the timing for cooking a boneless roast of meat is different than for 'meat on the bone'. Boneless roasts of beef cook very quickly.

- measure the width of the roast at its thickest part, and cook for 15 minutes per inch at 425 degrees F. for 'rare'; 20 minutes per inch for 'medium rare'; and 25 minutes per inch for 'medium' to 'well-done'.

- after roasting the meat, let it sit on a platter on the counter loosely tented with tinfoil for about 15 minutes so that the juices can retract into the meat before carving.

I'm going shopping tonight for beef tenderloin; I think that I might just pick up a meat thermometer too.