Ingredients
- 1.5 kg topside of beef
- 2 medium onions
- 2 carrots
- 2 sticks celery
- 1 bulb of garlic
- 1 bunch of mixed fresh herbs , such as thyme, rosemary, bay, sage
- olive oil
Method
- Remove the beef from the fridge 30 minutes before you want to cook it, to let it come up to room temperature.
- Preheat the oven to 240°C/475°F/ gas 9.
- Wash and roughly chop the vegetables – there’s no need to peel them. Break the garlic bulb into cloves, leaving them unpeeled.
- Pile all the veg, garlic and herbs into the middle of a large roasting tray and drizzle with oil.
- Drizzle the beef with oil and season well with sea salt and black pepper, then rub all over the meat. Place the beef on top of the vegetables.
- Place the tray in the oven, then turn the heat down immediately to 200°C/400°F/gas 6 and cook for 1 hour for medium beef. If you prefer it medium-rare, take it out 5 to 10 minutes earlier. For well done, leave it in for another 10 to 15 minutes.
- If you’re doing roast potatoes and veggies, this is the time to crack on with them – get them into the oven for the last 45 minutes of cooking.
- Baste the beef halfway through cooking and if the veg look dry, add a splash of water to the tray to stop them from burning.
- When the beef is cooked to your liking, take the tray out of the oven and transfer the beef to a board to rest for 15 minutes or so. Cover it with a layer of tin foil and a tea towel and leave aside while you make your gravy, horseradish sauce and Yorkshire puddings.
