GLORIOUS ROAST BEEF WITH YORKSHIRE PUDDINGS AND MADEIRA STOCK GRAVY

Gorgeous Gorgeous Gorgeous Roast Rib Eye of Beef, this is one of my most favourite roasts, the gorgeous memories of nan and grandad and the old fashioned smell of clean grass feed fat roasting and basting the meat as it cooks enhancing that gorgeous and glorious rib of beef, the anticipation is just mouth wateringly beautiful, I or my taste buds do confess to having a hankering to the hot crispy salty seasoned fat on the top of the joint, to me this is the very best, the flavour is un-believable and very naughty, but once in a while perfectly acceptable!

Prep time 15 minutes / Approx oven roasting time 2kg 50 minutes blue / 55 mins rare / 60 mins med rare / 70 mins med / 1hr 25+ mins well done / plus 15 mins resting time.

Approx Timing Guide

9 mins per lb Blue/Rare 55 degrees plus resting

12 mins per lb rare/rare 60-65 degrees plus resting

15 mins per lb well done 70-75 degrees plus resting

Ingredients

(serves 4-6)

2 kg rib of beef on the bone

1 tbsp sea salt & fresh ground black pepper for the beef

2 kg potatoes peeled and halved placed in water

100g semolina

Sea salt and white pepper for the potato's

6 tbsp beef dripping

4 carrots peeled rough chopped

2 heads of broccoli florets

1 sweetheart cabbage finely sliced

The Best Ever Roast Beef Gravy

500ml beef bone stock

200ml Madeira

All the resting juices from the beef

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp flour

Sea salt and black pepper

Fabulous Yorkshire Puddings

Ingredients

(Makes 10)

200 ml eggs beaten

200 ml milk

200 ml plain flour whisked

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp white pepper

Roast Beef

First job is to get the beef in the 190 degree pre-heated oven for the required cooking time, I cooked our beef rare which was 60 minutes at 190 degrees adding a minimum of 15 minutes for resting time, out of the oven, this resting time gives you the time to make the gravy, cook the yorkshire puddings and vegetables while the roasting potatoes finish off, I allow 1hr to roast my potatoes gorgeously crispy and light and fluffy in beef dripping and by giving the beef a 10 minute head start from the potato's you will have every thing ready to serve at the same time.

Roast Potato's
Peel the potato's and cut in half, place in a pan of water with a pinch of salt and bring to a simmer, simmer for five minutes and then take off the heat and leave to stand for a further five minutes, drain and gently shake the colander to fluff up the edges of the potato, this will give you extra crispy potato's, season with sea salt, white pepper and sprinkle over the semolina, add to your roasting tin and toss in the dripping coating the potato's all over pop the tin back in the oven, these beauties are going to be basting in the glorious roasted beef fat that is rendering down as the beef roasts, the potato's will only need turning once at the half way point around 30 minutes.

Yorkshire Puddings

Next make the yorkshire batter so that it can rest on the side for three quarters of an hour or so, place the eggs and flour in a large jug and with a balloon whisk, whisk until you have a creamy smooth mixture, add the milk, salt and pepper and whisk again until all incorporated and lump free, you can pass this mixture through a sieve if you want, leave on this side at room temperature until needed.

Crank the oven up to 200 degrees and in a yorkshire batter tin place a tsp of beef dripping in each tin, section, pop in the oven for 5 minutes to get super hot, now this bit is important for successfully high yorkshires, have your batter jug ready to pour, take the tin from the oven, close the door and as fast as is safe pour the batter into the tins, get this back in the oven as fast a possible and close the door! Phew!  Under no circumstances can you open the oven door for the next 18-20 minutes, if you do the puddings will flop, while this is not the end of the world it means your yorkshires will be more of a heavy batter pudding rather than a light airy crispy puff of a yorkshire pudding.

The Gravy

Pour off any fat into a dripping bowl, reserving any juices in the pan, pop the dripping in the fridge ready to use for the next roast, place your roasting tin on the stove and add the beef stock and Madeira, bring to a rolling simmer and reduce by a third, add all the resting juices from the beef and using a whisk be sure to scrap off all the flavoursome bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan adding further depth to this gorgeous old fashioned honest gravy.  Take the soft almost melting butter and mix in the flour, this will thicken the gravy to your choice, start with half the mix and add to the simmering gravy, whisk in well until smooth, taste and season with sea salt and fresh ground black pepper if needed, if you want a thicker gravy add more of the beurre manie butter flour roux.

Serve with the steamed or boiled vegetables, crispy fluffy roast potato's and your beautiful full flavoured gravy.