Slow-roast beef with a pepper and rosemary crust and onions

Name: Slow-roast beef with a pepper and rosemary crust and onions
Yield: Serves 10
Cuisine: British recipes

Make your Sunday roast even more special with this slow-roast beef with a pepper and rosemary crust and Guinness onions.

Ingredients

Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan160°C/gas 4. Season the beef and rub it with oil, then put it in a roasting tin and roast for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, pound the pepper, salt, rosemary and olive oil in a pestle and mortar to a coarse paste.
Remove the beef from the tin, then coat it with the paste. Turn the oven down to 100°C/fan80°C/gas ¼. Put the onions, mushrooms, garlic cloves and bay leaves in the tin, then put the beef joint on a roasting rack on top. Pour the Guinness and half the stock into the tin, then return to the oven and cook for 1½-2 hours, adding more stock if the vegetables look like they’re drying out.
Once the beef is cooked to your liking (a thermometer pushed into the middle should read 50°C for rare and 60°C for medium), remove from the oven, transfer to a board and rest somewhere warm for 30 minutes, wrapped loosely in foil. Strain the onion mixture from the tin. Keep the onions warm and pour the juices into a saucepan.
Heat the juices until bubbling. If you want more gravy, add the rest of the stock along with more Guinness if you fancy. Slice the meat thinly, then serve with the sticky onions and a splash of gravy.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan160°C/gas 4. Season the beef and rub it with oil, then put it in a roasting tin and roast for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, pound the pepper, salt, rosemary and olive oil in a pestle and mortar to a coarse paste.
Remove the beef from the tin, then coat it with the paste. Turn the oven down to 100°C/fan80°C/gas ¼. Put the onions, mushrooms, garlic cloves and bay leaves in the tin, then put the beef joint on a roasting rack on top. Pour the Guinness and half the stock into the tin, then return to the oven and cook for 1½-2 hours, adding more stock if the vegetables look like they’re drying out.
Once the beef is cooked to your liking (a thermometer pushed into the middle should read 50°C for rare and 60°C for medium), remove from the oven, transfer to a board and rest somewhere warm for 30 minutes, wrapped loosely in foil. Strain the onion mixture from the tin. Keep the onions warm and pour the juices into a saucepan.
Heat the juices until bubbling. If you want more gravy, add the rest of the stock along with more Guinness if you fancy. Slice the meat thinly, then serve with the sticky onions and a splash of gravy.

This beef is cooked at a low temperature, so it will be pink throughout. If you think your joint might be too rare, check the centre. It’s cooked if the individual meat fibres are discernible, rather than looking gelatinous.
Roast the beef the day before, then chill overnight. Serve the sliced beef at room temperature with the warmed onions alongside for a lunch buffet.
Topside is cut from the top of the hindquarters and is quite lean, so cook slowly to stop it drying out and turning tough. It’s best served rare to medium rare.

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