A proper Sunday roast: salt-crusted topside beef, crisp golden Yorkshires and a glossy onion gravy made from the tin juices.
Prep
25 mins
Cook
1h 35m
Servings
6
Per serving
£3.00
Difficulty
medium
This is the roast I make when the whole family's round the table. The trick is a hot, hot oven for the Yorkshires and a long unhurried rest for the beef so it carves clean instead of falling apart.
Preheat the oven to 220C (200C fan). Pat the beef dry and rub all over with the olive oil, salt and pepper.
Scatter the carrots, quartered onions and celery in a large roasting tin to make a trivet, then sit the beef on top, fat-side up.
Roast for 20 minutes at the high heat, then turn the oven down to 180C (160C fan) and continue roasting, allowing roughly 15 minutes per 500g for medium. Rest the beef under foil for at least 20 minutes before carving.
Use a meat thermometer if you have one: 52C for rare, 60C for medium.
While the beef rests, whisk the flour, eggs, milk and a pinch of salt into a smooth batter. Let it stand at room temperature.
The batter rises better if it's made an hour ahead, or even the night before.
Turn the oven back up to 220C (200C fan). Pour a little vegetable oil into each hole of a 12-hole muffin tin and heat for 5 minutes until smoking. Quickly pour in the batter and bake for 18-20 minutes without opening the door.
Meanwhile strain the tin juices into a saucepan, skim off most of the fat, and soften the sliced onion in it for 5 minutes. Stir in the flour, cook for a minute, then gradually whisk in the stock and red wine. Simmer until glossy.
Carve the beef and serve with the Yorkshire puddings, gravy and all the trimmings.