I am reporting back.

So I read a lot of recipes and then did my own thing, which was to sear the roast on all sides in duck fat then put it in a loaf pan on top of some sliced onion and shallot. Then I put on top onion powder and garlic powder to thicken the eventual gravy, and marjoram oregano savory, stuck a tomato in chunks down the sides, and poured in red wine about 2/3 up, lid on, into 275 oven. After about 45 mn I flipped it, took it out of the oven after about another 45 mn, took roast out onto foil and poured sauce into saucepan to boil down while I sauteed some asparagus in snail butter. Sliced roast into 4, put the two middle underdone slices back into the oven for 15 mn while guest and I ate the ends which were perfect with the asparagus and soubise [render onions in butter, toast rice, add (2xrice, the more rice the less liquid) hot broth, reduce to low, cook 20mn without lifting lid]. So that was at about 7:30 that I turned the oven and asparagus and sauce burners off and we ate.

And it was *delish* - chewy but not tough, not all all dry. Asparagus rules, soubise sopped sauce, success.

Then we had some chocolate-covered things and watched an odd Australian movie, then we talked about grief for a while, then we had some ice cream, then guest left at about 11. At which point I realized I had never turned off the burner under the rice.

Luckily I always make a lot of rice so there will be leftovers for fried rice. And the burner was on Low...