LAST-MINUTE MEALS TO GET YOU OUT OF TROUBLE,
TAKE classic roast beef up a notch this Christmas with a blanket of cranberry stuffing and sticky maple bacon.
Maple baconwrapped beef with mustard and herb stuffing
SERVES: 8 PREP: 45 minutes COOK: 50 minutes
Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
1 brown onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, plus extra sprigs, to serve
1.5kg trimmed beef eye fillet (8cm thick)
160g (1 1/2 cups) fresh sourdough breadcrumbs
3/4 cup chopped fresh continental parsley leaves
80g (1/3 cup) dried whole cranberries
1 egg
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard, plus extra, to serve
14 rashers (about 400g) streaky bacon
2 tbsp maple syrup
Method
1. Preheat oven to 220C/200C fan-forced. Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Cook the onion and thyme, stirring, for 6 minutes or until soft. Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool. Wipe pan clean.
2. Heat the remaining oil in pan over high heat. Season the beef. Cook, turning, for about 8 minutes or until evenly browned all over. Set aside to cool.
3. Place onion mixture, breadcrumbs, parsley, cranberries and egg in a food processor and process until combined. Season well. Pat beef dry with paper towel. Spread mustard over top of beef to cover. Press stuffing in an even layer over top of beef to cover.
4. Place a large sheet of baking paper on a work surface with short edge facing you. Lay 10 bacon rashers in 2 rows down centre of paper. (These will be wrapped up and over the beef.) At the top and bottom place 2 remaining rashers at right angles to rows. (These will enclose the ends of the beef.) Place the beef in the centre of the bacon, stuffing-side up, and wrap the end rashers up and over the short ends of the beef. Wrap the side rashers up and over the beef to cover.
5. Use paper to transfer bacon-wrapped beef to a baking tray. Brush all over with maple syrup. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the bacon is golden brown. Set aside for at least 15 minutes to rest. Sprinkle with extra thyme. Slice the baconwrapped beef and serve with extra mustard.