ROAST FORE RIB OF BEEF

INGREDIENTS (SERVES 4)

3.5kg fore rib, chined, 2 bone min

30ml olive oil

Plenty of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

6 shallots, halved

Few sprigs thyme

3 cloves garlic

Gravy:

200ml strong beef stock

100ml red wine

75ml port

1tbs cornflour made into a paste with water

Roasties: 1kg maris piper spuds

125g duck or goose fat

2 tsp flour

Sea salt

2 sprigs of chopped rosemary

METHOD

1. Make sure the beef is a room temp. Rub with oil and season really well.

2. Sit the beef up on the bone and roast at 220°C for 20 minutes.

3. Take the meat out, reduce the heat to 180°C. Add the shallots and garlic. Roast for 12 minutes per 500g for rare. 15 minutes for med rare. (Internal temp after cooking is 50 for rare, 54 for med rare).

4. Take the meat out, cover with foil and let it rest.

5. Tip the cooking juices into a jug, let them settle for a few minutes, then skim off the impurities/fat.

6. Put the tray on high heat on a hob, stir to remove the bits of meat. Add the meat juices and other gravy liquids and keep stirring. Reduce by 25%. Thicken with the cornflour paste.

7. Roasties: Peel the spuds, cut into approx 50mm pieces/or in quarters. Put the spuds in a pan, add enough water to just cover, bring to boil. As they boil, turn down the heat a touch, cook for 2 minutes. Drain into a colander, then put back in the pan. Shake them round, add the flour.

8. Heat the duck fat in a roasting tray in the oven (220°C) until smoking hot, spoon the spuds into the hot fat in a single layer. Roast them for about 40mins, turning after 15 minutes and again at 35 minutes.

9. Serve with sea salt and rosemary sprinkled on top.

10. Serve thick slices of meat with roasties, gravy and all the trimmings.