Roast Beef Dinner with Homemade Yorkshire Puddings

 

A classic roast beef dinner with Yorkshire puddings is a delightful treat. Every family is different so add your favourite veg to make this into a feast that your family will love

Roast Beef with Yorkshire Puddings

Ingredients:

• For the Yorkshire Puddings:

  • 350g (12oz) plain flour
  • 4 large or 5 medium free-range eggs
  • 800ml (1 pint 7fl oz) milk (you may not need all of it)
  • Vegetable oil, for cooking or lard/ beef dripping if you prefer
  • Salt

• For the Beef:

  • 2.5kg (5½lb) oven-ready rib of beef on the bone
  • 1 tbsp English mustard powder
  • A drizzle of vegetable oil or 2 tsp duck fat 
  • Freshly ground black pepper

• For the Roast Potatoes and mashed potato:

• 16 medium-sized Maris Piper or King Edward potatoes (each about 175g/6oz), peeled and cut into equal-sized pieces (or 2 per person for the roasties and 2 per person for the mash)
• 8 garlic cloves
• 5 tbsp duck fat
• 8 sprigs thyme
• Sea salt, to taste
• For the mash - a dash of milk, a knob of butter, salt, pepper and sour cream if you want to add it.

• For the Gravy:

  • Pan-roasting juices
  • 350ml (12fl oz) red wine (optional)
  • 1 x Beef stock pot or stock cube
  • 1-2 tbsp of beef gravy granules to thicken the gravy

Instructions:

1. Prepare the Yorkshire Puddings:

   • Sift the flour and a pinch of salt into a bowl.
   • Add the eggs and gradually whisk in enough milk to make a smooth batter thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
   • Cover and leave to rest for six hours or overnight in the fridge to chill down

2. Preheat the Oven:

   • Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F/Gas 5).

3. Season and Sear the Beef:

   • Take the beef out of the fridge and allow it to come back to room temperature.
   • Mix the mustard powder with a few teaspoons of water to make a paste.
   • Rub the beef all over with the mustard paste and season well with salt and pepper.
   • Sear the beef on all sides in a hot frying pan with oil or duck fat until nicely browned.

4. Roast the Beef:

   • Place the beef in a roasting tin and roast in the oven for one hour (11 minutes per 450g/1lb) for rare meat.
   • Adjust cooking time for medium-rare or well-done as desired.

5. Prepare the Roast Potatoes and mash:

• Parboil the peeled potatoes in salted water for about seven minutes until almost cooked.
• Lift out the potatoes for roasting Drain thoroughly and shake them around in a colander until the outsides are fluffy. Leave the rest of the potatoes in the water and continue cooking until they start to break apart when a fork is inserted.
• Roast the potatoes with garlic, thyme, and duck fat until golden and crunchy.
• For the Mash - use a masher and mash thoroughly to remove any lumps add some butter, salt, pepper and sour cream if you have it.

6. Make the Yorkshire Puddings:

   • Pour vegetable oil/ lard into the wells of a Yorkshire pudding tin
   • Heat the tin in the oven until the oil or lard has melted and warmed through, then carefully pour in the batter.
   • Bake for 20 minutes to an hour until puffy and golden brown. Depending on the size of the tin wells it may need a little longer.. check at the 20 minute mark - the bottoms should be crispy and there should be no doughy bits on the inside of the puddings

7. Prepare the Gravy:

   • Use the pan-roasting juices to make a rich gravy by adding the stock pot/ stock cube and gravy granules to a pan
   • Add the red wine if desired
   • Simmer until you reach your desired consistency making sure it doesn't over thicken and stick to the pan by giving it a stir regularly.

8. Rest and Serve:

   • Remove the beef from the oven and let it rest for 30 minutes.
   • Carve the beef, serve with Yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes, and the delicious gravy.

Feel free to add your choice of veg and cook as you like:

• I did boiled white cabbage
• Cauliflower cheese
• Air fried sprouting broccoli  

Enjoy your hearty roast beef dinner with all the trimmings!

Feel free to adjust the recipe to your taste, and don’t forget to invite friends and family to share this comforting meal. 

Where i am from it is quite usual to have yorkshire puddings as a starter, main and desert - yorkshire pudding with homemade mushy peas with gravy on to start, as a side to your main then as a pudding with marmalade or jam spread on top so i always make a full batch but these also freeze well so if you have some left pop them in a zip-lock bag and pop them in the freezer for a quick  homemade YP for your weeknight dinners.

Happy cooking!