Roasted Sirloin of Beef & Root Vegetables with Yorkshire Pudding
Servings: 10
Ingredients
Roast Beef & Vegetables
1good quality top sirloinor prime rib roast, 3-5 pounds Note - I suggest something with a good amount of marbling to provide enough fat for the gravy and Yorkshire pudding
kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
extra virgin olive oil
3red onionspeeled and cut into large wedges
2heads garlicplus 4 cloves garlic peeled
3poundsroasting potatoesquartered
2poundsroot vegetablescarrots, parsnips scrubbed and cut into large pieces
3fresh rosemary sprigs
2inchpiece ginger root
2cupsred wine or beef stockor combination
2tablespoonsof additional fatbutter or bacon grease, if needed
1teaspooneach of tomato pastebalsamic vinegar and Worcestershire sauce, optional - see note below
Yorkshire Pudding
2tablespoonsfat drippings from the roast or vegetable oil
1cupflour
1/4teaspoonsalt
1cupmilk
2eggsbeaten
1tablespoonbuttermelted
Instructions
Roast Beef & Vegetables
Preheat oven to 450 degrees and heat a large thick bottomed roasting pan on the stove top
Rub the roast generously with salt and pepper and add a little olive oil to the roasting pan. Lightly brown the meat for a couple of minutes on all sides.
Lay the onions and bulbs of garlic in the bottom of the pan with the beef on top, and place in oven.
After 30 minutes, remove pan from oven toss in the vegetables and rosemary. Drizzle olive oil over the top.
Pick out the garlic bulbs and carefully squeeze out the garlic, spreading all over the roast.
Grate the ginger over everything in the pan.
Put the roast back in the oven and roast to taste, checking every 30 minutes and drizzling with additional olive oil if pan seems dry (about 1 1/2 hours, depending on the size of the roast.) A digital thermometer works well for this recipe. If using, insert probe into the center of the roast and cook to one of the following temperatures - 120-125 degrees for rare, 130-135 degrees for medium rare, 140-145 degrees for medium, 150-155 degrees for medium well and 160 degrees for well done.
Remove the root vegetables to serving dish and keep warm. Leave roasted onions and garlic in bottom of the pan for gravy.
Place the beef on a plate, cover with foil and let rest for 30 minutes. This lets the juices settle into the meat.
Rich Beef Gravy
Remove most of the fat from the roasting pan and reserve for the Yorkshire pudding. If your roast did have a nice marbling you should be left with caramelized onions and sticky beef goodness. If you don't have enough fat, add 2 tablespoons of butter or bacon fat to supplement what you have.
Add 1 teaspoon of flour to the roasting pan and mash everything together. Heat the pan on the stove top, and when hot, add the red wine or beef stock (or combination.) Simmer for 5 - 10 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes. Add any juices from the beef. If you prefer a thicker gravy, you can whisk in an additional teaspoon or 2 of flour. To add flour, put flour in a small dish, then whisk in a small amount of gravy until smooth. Then whisk the additional thickening into roasting pan. This prevents the flour from making lumps.
Note - when we improvised on the gravy recipe, we added a teaspoon each of tomato paste, balsamic vinegar and Worcestershire sauce, which enhanced the flavor nicely. If you have these ingredients on hand, you can add one or more to the gravy.
Yorkshire Pudding
Keep oven at 450 degrees
Pour a light layer of vegetable oil into the bottom of a 9 x 9 square metal pan.
Put the pan into the oven to heat the oil while you mix the other ingredients.
Blend the flour and salt.
Gradually add the milk to ensure no lumps.
Add the eggs and melted butter. Beat the mixture for 2 minutes so it is light and fluffy. You can make the batter ahead of time and when you are ready to use, just give it another quick beating.
Carefully take the heated pan form the oven and pour the batter over the oil. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Cut into squares and serve. We topped ours with the pan gravy which was delicious!
Notes
Inspired from Jamie Oliver's cooking techniques which uses high heat and ginger.