Description
A classic British Roast Beef Dinner featuring tender topside beef roasted to perfection and served with crispy roast potatoes, fluffy Yorkshire puddings, rich gravy, steamed carrots and broccoli, and cheesy cauliflower cheese. This complete meal is ideal for family gatherings and special occasions, offering comforting flavors and satisfying textures all on one plate.
Ingredients
Scale
Roast Beef
- 1.5 kg (3.3 lbs) topside of beef
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Yorkshire Pudding
- 105 g (1 cup minus 1 tbsp) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 3 medium eggs
- 150 ml (1/2 cup + 2 tbsp) milk
- 4 tsp beef dripping or lard
- Pinch salt and pepper
Roast Potatoes
- 120 g (1/2 cup) lard or duck fat
- 1 kg (2.25 lbs) floury potatoes (such as Maris Piper or red-skinned Rooster potatoes)
- 1 tsp Maldon salt
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
Vegetables and Cauliflower Cheese
- 300 g (10.5 oz) Chantenay carrots
- 2 tbsp salted butter
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1 small cauliflower (broken into small florets)
- 100 g (1 cup minus 1 tbsp) mature/strong Cheddar cheese
- 180 ml (3/4 cup) double (heavy) cream
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Gravy
- 2 tbsp cornflour/cornstarch
- 5 tbsp cold water
- Meat juices from your roasted beef
- 3 beef stock cubes (crumbled)
- 720 ml (3 cups) hot vegetable stock (from your boiled/steamed vegetables and potatoes)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp gravy browning (optional)
Additional Vegetable
- 300 g (10.5 oz) tenderstem broccoli
- 1 tbsp salted butter
- Pinch salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat and season beef: Preheat the oven to 180C/350F (fan). Drizzle olive oil over the topside beef and season all over with salt and black pepper. Place the beef in a roasting tin uncovered.
- Roast the beef: Roast the beef in the oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes for medium doneness or 1 hour and 30 minutes for well done, basting once halfway through cooking.
- Prepare Yorkshire pudding batter: Place flour in a jug and make a well in the center. Crack in eggs and whisk gradually incorporating flour. Add milk and whisk until combined, slightly lumpy is fine. Chill the batter in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- Heat fat for roast potatoes and Yorkshire puddings: Add lard or duck fat for roast potatoes to a roasting tin and place in oven to heat for 10 minutes once beef is partially cooked. Add half a teaspoon of beef dripping or lard to each of eight holes in a 12-hole metal bun tin, then place in the oven to heat the fat.
- Prepare vegetables: Peel and chop potatoes into chunky pieces (~5 cm/2 inches). Peel carrots and break cauliflower into florets. Grate the Cheddar cheese for the cauliflower cheese preparation.
- Parboil potatoes: Place potatoes in a pan, cover with cold water, bring to boil on high heat, then simmer for 8-9 minutes until softened at the edges. Drain and shake vigorously in colander to roughen edges for better crispiness.
- Steam cauliflower: Bring a pot of water to boil and place cauliflower in steam basket over the pot. Cover with a lid and steam for 5 minutes until tender but firm. Drain and set aside.
- Roast potatoes: Place the hot fat roasting tin on upper oven rack, add the drained potatoes and turn them in the fat to coat. Roast in oven for 25 minutes.
- Rest the beef: When beef is cooked, remove from oven, transfer to a board, and cover with foil and tea towels to rest for 30-40 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 220C/425F (fan).
- Assemble cauliflower cheese: In a baking dish, layer 2 tbsp of cream and 2 tbsp grated cheese, half the cauliflower, half remaining cream, quarter cheese, and half salt and pepper. Repeat layers with remaining cauliflower, cream, cheese, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
- Prepare carrots and broccoli: Bring water to boil for steaming. Steam carrots for 20 minutes. Later steam broccoli for 8-10 minutes until tender. Butter and season the vegetables before serving.
- Continue roasting potatoes and cook Yorkshire pudding and cauliflower cheese: Turn potatoes in fat and move to lower oven rack, roast for another 20-25 minutes until golden. Heat Yorkshire pudding batter, season with salt and pepper, and pour evenly into hot fat in bun tin. Place the pudding tin and cauliflower cheese dish in the oven and cook for 20 minutes until golden.
- Make gravy: Mix cornflour with cold water to form slurry. Heat the meat roasting tray on the hob, add crumbled stock cubes and reserved potato water (approx 480 ml to 720 ml), scrape up browned bits, bring to a bubble. Slowly add slurry to thicken while whisking. Add optional gravy browning for color and keep warm over low heat. Add any meat juices from the resting beef to the gravy.
- Serve: Carve the rested beef at the table, serve with crispy roast potatoes, golden Yorkshire puddings, creamy cauliflower cheese sprinkled with parsley, steamed carrots and broccoli topped with butter and seasoning, and ladle gravy into a separate jug for pouring.
Notes
- This recipe is a complete step-by-step guide with a free time plan to prepare a traditional roast beef dinner including all side dishes.
- The rest time for the beef is essential for juices to redistribute and meat to remain tender and warm.
- Roughening the potatoes before roasting helps create extra crispy edges.
- Using beef dripping or lard for Yorkshire puddings gives authenticity and enhances flavor.
- Optional gravy browning can improve the color of the gravy without affecting the flavor significantly.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 1098 kcal
- Sugar: 9 g
- Sodium: 2549 mg
- Fat: 55 g
- Saturated Fat: 23 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 32 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 71 g
- Fiber: 11 g
- Protein: 78 g
- Cholesterol: 343 mg
