Roast Beef

Instructions

Take the beef out of the fridge on the morning you plan to cook and let it come to room temperature. Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F) with a roasting tin inside, ideally a cast-iron one, which holds heat well.

Mix some flour with rock salt and a good pinch of pepper. Wipe the fatty edges of the joint with a damp cloth, then dust them with the mixture so it sticks.

Heat olive oil in a large frying pan and sear the fatty edges of the joint until dark brown, holding it with a fork to turn it. Brown the rest of the meat and the spare bones too, since this browning builds much of the flavor. Lift out the meat and bones, lower the heat, and deglaze the pan with the red wine, taking care as the wine may flare.

Lay the bones and a coarsely chopped onion in the hot tin as a bed, so the joint sits slightly above the bottom. Set the beef on top, add a cup of water, and pour over the contents of the frying pan. Roast near the top of the oven for 15 minutes without opening the door.

Baste the joint once, then turn the oven down to about 180°C (350°F) and leave it alone. Roast for 15 minutes per pound (about 450 g) for rare, 20 for medium or 25 for well-done.

Move the beef to a separate dish, cover loosely with foil, and rest it in a warm spot for about 15 minutes. For the gravy, set the roasting tin on the stove, add red wine and deglaze over high heat, then add a little water and the Worcestershire sauce and bring to a low boil. Stir in the red jam, mustard and nutmeg, and simmer, adding water or more wine, until slightly thickened. Sieve into a bowl.

About an hour before the beef finishes, peel the potatoes and cut them to a similar size. Boil them in salted water with a little olive oil for exactly 5 minutes, then drain and return them to the dry pan. Add the flour, cover, and shake hard for about 15 seconds to roughen the surfaces.

Heat the goose fat in a large oven-safe pan, add the floured potatoes, and roll them gently for 5 to 10 minutes until they take on color. Drain off the fat and set the potatoes on a rack over a roasting dish, about 2.5 cm (1 inch) apart. Bake alongside the beef at about 180°C (350°F) for 30 to 40 minutes, turning them twice with a fork, until golden, crisp outside and fluffy within.

Carve the beef into thin slices. Serve with the potatoes, at least three side vegetables such as roast parsnips, green beans and cabbage with bacon, the gravy, Yorkshire pudding, horseradish and English mustard.