Top Loin Roast

Line baking sheet with paper towels and set flat wire rack over baking sheet. Pat roast dry with paper towels, then set roast on wire rack. Refrigerate, uncovered, on lowest shelf for 1 to 3 days.

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position; heat oven to 250 degrees. Remove roast from refrigerator; using sharp paring knife, trim off all fat and silver skin from roast (see illustration) and shave off hard, dried exterior surfaces. Rub roast with 2 tablespoons olive oil; let roast stand at room temperature for 1 hour.

Combine salt and pepper in small bowl; season all surfaces of roast with salt-pepper mixture, pressing to make salt and pepper adhere. Heat remaining 1-tablespoon oil in 12-inch, heavy--bottomed ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat until smoking; set roast in skillet, fat-trimmed-side down, and cook until well browned, about 3 minutes. Using tongs to turn roast, brown on all sides, 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Turn roast fat-trimmed-side up, set skillet in oven, and roast until instant-read thermometer inserted into center registers 120 to 125 degrees, 40 to 50 minutes. Using potholders to handle skillet, transfer roast to cutting board, loosely tent roast with foil, and let roast rest 20 minutes. With sharp carving knife, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices; serve.