The Body Coach’s Roast beef
SERVES: 2 PREP: 20 MINS COOK: 45 MINS
1.5kg piece of sirloin, at room temperature
Salt and pepper
4 carrots, roughly chopped
1 large swede, roughly cubed
2 heads of cauliflower, florets only (about 650g)
215g mascarpone cheese
1 free-range egg
2 spring onions, finely sliced
1tsp English mustard
40g Cheddar, grated
25g Parmesan grated
20g butter
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs of thyme
1tbsp plain flour
500ml good-quality beef stock
Small bunch of parsley, chopped
Steamed greens
Instructions:
1 Preheat your oven to 220°C (fan 200°C/gas mark 7).
2 Season the beef with salt and pepper, and place it onto a roasting tin.
3 Slide it into the oven and roast for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 175°C (fan 155°C/gas mark 4) and continue to roast the beef for 25 minutes.
4 Remove it from the oven, wrap it tightly in tin foil and leave it to rest on a plate for at least 20 minutes. Do not throw away the fat and cooking juices from the tin.
5 While the beef is roasting, bring two large saucepans of water to the boil.
6 Chuck the carrots and swede into one of the pans and simmer for about
20 minutes, or until they are totally tender.
7 Drop the cauliflower florets into the other pan and simmer for about 8 minutes, or until the florets are just tender. Drain the florets in a sieve or colander and leave to steam dry.
8 Beat together the mascarpone, egg, spring onions and mustard along with a good pinch of salt and pepper. The mascarpone should loosen as you beat it, but if not, add a splash of water until the mixture reaches “dolloping” consistency.
9 Pile the cauliflower florets into an oven dish and scrape the mascarpone mixture over the top, spreading it out.
10 Scatter the Cheddar and Parmesan over the top of the dish and then slide the cauliflower into the oven and bake for 25 minutes, or until the mascarpone is bubbling and the cheese has browned.
11 When the swede and carrots are tender, thoroughly drain them in a sieve or colander and tip them back into the pan along with the butter. Add a bit of salt and a generous pinch of pepper and mash the lot together – you don’t want to mash it up too much as a bit of texture is nice. Keep warm until you’re ready to serve.
12 Place the roasting tin over a low to medium heat (or pour the beef fat into a small pan if you don’t have a hob-proof roasting tin).
13 Add the bay leaf and springs of thyme, sprinkle the flour and stir to combine the juices to form a smooth paste. Cook the paste for about a minute, then gradually add the beef stock. Warning: if you pour it in too quickly, you will end up with lumpy gravy.
14 Keep stirring in the beef stock until it has all been incorporated, then bring to the boil and remove from the heat. Scatter with chopped parsley and serve up the roast beef dinner with some freshly steamed greens.