• Remove the tri tip roast from refrigeration and unpackage it. Rub the tri-tip roast with olive oil, then sprinkle the beef with the steak seasoning, applying it fairly liberally all over the roast, depending on how salty your steak seasoning is. **This step can be done ahead of time, if preferred.
  2-3 pound tri tip roast, we love to get our tri tip roasts from Pacheco Beef in Alma, KS (they ship direct to your door!), Olive oil, for rubbing the tri tip and roasting the potatoes, Your favorite steak seasoning, to taste
• Let the seasoned tri tip rest, uncovered, on the counter for a couple of hours to remove a lot of the chill from refrigeration. **Do not skip this step, whatever you do! Resting the roast before cooking allows the protein fibers to relax so the meat can cook more evenly. This resting period is essential for a great beef eating experience.

Roast the Potatoes

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. While you are prepping the potatoes for the oven, place a large rimmed baking sheet on the center rack of the oven to preheat. **This will help your potatoes to get more golden brown and crispy, plus they cook more quickly, too.

  While the roast is resting, prepare the potato halves by placing them into a large bowl; add a good drizzle of olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper, tossing to coat the potatoes well.
  2 pounds Small red and gold potatoes, usually called B-size potatoes at the grocer
• Remove the hot baking sheet from the oven and carefully spread the potatoes out in a single layer; if the baking sheet is really nicely preheated, there will be some sizzle involved at this point. Sizzle is actually a good thing at this point, but do take care in case there's some splattering involved, too.
• Roast the potatoes, uncovered, for 10 minutes, then gently toss. Continue to roast the potatoes for an additional 10 minutes or so, just until they are fork-tender. Reserve the potatoes while the tri tip has a turn roasting in the oven.

  **Use a fork to test the potatoes, not a knife. You want them to be fork-tender, not knife tender!

Sear the Tri Tip Roast

• Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees F.

  Place a large cast iron skillet (I use my 12-inch) over medium high heat. When the skillet is nicely preheated, add a good swish of olive oil. Using your best long-handled tongs or meat fork, lift the roast over to your skillet, taking care to place the meat top-side down and fat-side up into the hot oil.

  You should hear some great sizzle at this point, the indicator that your roast will be caramelized soon. Let the roast sit (meaning don't fiddle with it or move it at this point) so it can sear off and get some good browning going. After 4-5 minutes, lift the roast a bit to check the bottom; if it's beautifully browned and caramelized at this point, turn it over in the skillet to brown the opposite side, adding a bit more olive oil to the bottom of the pan, if needed.

  I usually brown all sides of my tri tip roast, including the ends, by holding it against the bottom of the skillet with my tongs, as needed. This just takes a few additional minutes.

  **Keep in mind that you are just browning the roast at this point, not fully cooking it. That part comes in the next step when the roast goes into the oven.

Roast the Tri Tip in the Oven

• Once the roast is browned, it's time to head to the preheated 425 degree F. oven.

  Roast the meat, leaving it right in the cast iron skillet, for 10-12 minutes per pound, uncovered and on the center oven rack, beginning to check the internal temperature of the roast at about the 20 minute mark for a medium-sized (approx. 2 1/2 lbs. or so) tri tip roast. **This is important so that you do not overcook the roast.

  Continue to roast the beef until the internal temperature in the thickest part of the meat reaches 125-130°F for medium-rare doneness or 130-135° for medium doneness when tested with an instant-read meat thermometer. **Keep in mind that after removing the roast from the oven, it is definitely going to raise in internal temperature an additional 10 more degrees as it rests while covered with foil.

  **If you are planning to take the tri tip to a gathering where you'll be reheating later on, you may even want to cook the tri tip to an internal temperature that is more rare (less done) than you would normally eat it. This way, when you reheat the beef later it doesn't become overcooked.
• When the roast reaches your desired internal temperature, remove it from the oven; loosely cover the skillet with foil, allowing the roast to rest for 10 full minutes. **This resting period is when the protein fibers of the meat can relax and the beef juices can redistribute themselves throughout the roast. During this resting period is also when the roast continues to cook from residual heat, raising to the final internal temperature.

Slice the Tri Tip

• Now it's time (finally!) to slice the tri tip. Place the cooked roast onto a large cutting board. Because a tri tip roast has two grains that run in opposite directions, find the center point of the roast where the grains meat; this is where you want to slide the tri tip in half. Turn each half on the cutting board so that you can slice it across the grain (not with the grain, mind you) into slabs of steak that are about 1/2-inch thick.

  Place the slices of tri tip back into the cast iron skillet, overlapping them one on top of the other on one side of the pan. Place the reserved potatoes into the skillet on the other side, opposite the sliced beef. Serve at once, or cover the skillet to transport later if you're heading out to the tailgate party.

  **The sliced tri tip and the potatoes are both delicious served warm, or at room temperature.