RECIPE FOR LIFE
Roast beef with thyme and fennel crust
A crunchy deep crust of herb-flavoured
breadcrumbs ensures a succulent roast beef. It's
roasted with a selection of root vegetables and
served with a rich gravy, made using the pan juices
Method
1. Preheat the oven to
190°C/gas 5. Mix the
breadcrumbs and fennel seeds
in a bowl with the leaves from
2 of the thyme sprigs and
seasoning to taste. Sprinkle 2
tablespoons of the olive oil and
the milk over the crumbs and
mix thoroughly with a spoon
until they are moist and clump
together.
2. Place the beef in a large,
lightly oiled roasting tin and
spread the meat with the
mustard. Press the crumb
mixture on the top of the meat,
pressing it firmly all over with
both hands to make a neat,
firm crust. Roast for about 1¾
hours for a medium result or
about 2 hours for well-cooked
but juicy meat. Cover the crust
loosely with a piece of foil after
1 hour, to prevent overbrowning, then remove the foil
for the final 5 minutes of
cooking.
3. Meanwhile, cut the celeriac
and sweet potatoes into 3.5cm
chunks and place in a large
bowl. Halve the carrots
lengthways, then cut them
across into chunky sticks. Add
to the bowl with the shallots
and the remaining thyme
leaves and oil. Mix well.
4. The vegetables require about
1 hour for roasting, so put them
in the oven when the beef has
been cooking for 45 minutes to
1 hour. Arrange them around
the meat, placing any that
won't fit in a separate roasting
tin or large ovenproof dish, if
necessary. Turn the vegetables
and baste them once during
cooking.
5. Remove the meat and
vegetables to a warmed
serving dish and cover with
foil. Pour 300ml water into the
roasting tin and bring to the
boil on the hob, stirring and
scraping up all the browned
cooking residue on the bottom
of the tin. Add the sherry,
Madeira or port and boil
steadily for 5–7 minutes,
stirring from time to time,
until the liquid is reduced by
about half. Season to taste,
then strain into a jug.
6. Slice the meat and serve
with the roast vegetables and
gravy. Any pieces of crust that
break off as the meat is sliced
can be divided among the
plates.
Serves: 4
Preparation
time:
25 minutes
Cooking tim
e:
2 hours
Ingredients:
• 150g fresh wholemeal
breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
• 6 large fresh sprigs of thyme
• 3 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoon semi-skimmed
milk
• 1.25 kg rolled beef topside,
trimmed of excess fat
• 1 tablespoon wholegrain
mustard
• 1 celeriac, peeled
• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled
• 4 carrots, peeled
• 300g shallots, peeled
• 100ml medium-sweet sherry,
Madeira or port
Tip
Calculate the cooking time
for the beef at 55 minutes
per 1kg, plus 45 minutes
for medium, or 65 minutes
per 1kg, plus 45 minutes
for well-done
meat that's
still juicy.
Add some finely chopped garlic to