The ultimate steak

with vinegar roasties

Serves 6 1h 30min Not to tricky

Preparation I use a plastic water spritzer to spray the potatoes with

the homemade flavoured vinegar – it gives those

crispy potatoes an added smack of flavour.

Around 1 hour 30 minutes before you're ready to start,

remove the meat from the fridge and leave aside to

come up to room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/gas 6. Place a large

roasting tray in the oven to preheat. Meanwhile, slice

the potatoes into rough 5cm chunks, then parboil in a

pan of salted boiling water for around 12 minutes.

Drain and return to the pan, shake to chuff them up,

then leave to steam dry. Carefully remove the tray

from the oven, add a good splash of olive oil, the

butter and rosemary sprigs. Separate and bash the

garlic cloves, then scatter into the tray of potatoes.

Gently toss to coat, then season with salt and place in

the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until golden and

crisp.

Meanwhile, add the flavoured vinegar ingredients to

a small plastic water spritzer, then set aside for later.

Make a herb brush by tying the woody herbs to the

end of a wooden spoon with string. Preheat an

ovenproof frying pan over a high heat to get it nice

and hot – you want to do this around 25 minutes

before the potatoes are ready. Add a splash of olive

oil, then season the steak well and add to the pan,

fat side-down, for a few minutes so the fat renders

out. Sear the steak for around 8 minutes, or until

browned all over, turning and basting with the herb

brush every minute or so, then place in the oven for

around 15 minutes for medium, or cook to your liking,

turning halfway.

Transfer to a board, drizzle with the juices from the

pan and leave to rest for around 3 minutes. When the

roast potatoes are a few minutes away from being

ready, spritz with the flavoured vinegar – don't add

too much, you want it to be subtle. Return to the

oven for 30 seconds, then lightly squash with a fish

slice. Spritz with a little more flavoured vinegar and

return to the oven for a final few minutes.

Slice up the steak on a board and sprinkle with a little

salt. Add a little extra virgin olive oil to the resting

juices, then drizzle over the steak and serve with a

nice salad, the vinegary roasties and a dollop of

mustard, if you like.

Ingredients

-trimmed côte de boeuf, with a

good layer of intramuscular fat

such as thyme, oregano and rosemary

flakes

Calories

706

Carbs

54.1g

Sugar

2.2g

Fat

38.7g

Saturates

16.8g

Protein

38.2g

Mini beef Wellingtons

Serves 4 1h (plus cooling) Not to tricky

Preparation This recipe is a nod to the traditional beef Wellington,

but I'm using minced beef instead of beef fillet and

throwing in a hint of chilli and cumin for an updated

flavour. You could also use pork mince, lamb mince

or even a mixture, and, during the season, make it

even more interesting by adding some game. And, as

you've probably noticed, I've decided to make mine

into individual rolls, so everyone gets their own. What

a treat!

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4. Heat a frying

pan and add a splash of olive oil. Add the onion,

carrot, garlic and celery, and cook on a medium

heat for 10 minutes, until it's all softened nicely. Add

the spices, mix well, cook for another minute, then

transfer to a bowl to cool.

Once the vegetables have cooled completely, add

the beef mince, kidney beans and tomato puree with

a good pinch of salt and pepper and one of the

beaten eggs. With clean hands, get right in there and

scrunch everything together.

Dust a work surface and rolling pin with flour and roll

out the puff pastry. Try to keep it as rectangular in

shape as possible. Once it's roughly the size of a tea

towel, cut it into 4. Spoon the meat mixture over each

piece, leaving clear about 2cm along the bottom,

and a small edge up either side. Sprinkle the grated

cheese over the meat, brush the bottom edge of the

pastry with beaten egg and roll it up into a spiral. Seal

both ends with your fingers. Repeat until you have 4

lovely mini Wellingtons.

Dust a baking tray with flour and carefully place the

Wellingtons on it. Brush each with the remaining

beaten egg, and bake in the oven for 25 minutes until

golden. Serve with simple mashed swede and lovely

buttered peas and you'll have happy guests.

Ingredients

-range eggs, beaten in separate

bowls

Calories

1026

Carbs

59.0g

Sugar

7.6g

Fat

66.3g

Saturates

24.6g

Protein

44.7g

Perfect roast beef

Serves 6-8 1h 05min (plus resting time)

Super easy

Preparation I've used a joint of topside here because it is by far

the most widely available roasting joint, but you can

also use rib of beef. The meat has to be rested after

cooking for at least half an hour and sliced really

thinly for you to enjoy the tenderness. The timings

below are just a guide, as they can differ depending

on the type of oven you have or the size of the joint.

To prepare your beef:

Take your beef out of the fridge 30 minutes before it

goes into the oven. Preheat your oven to

240°C/475°F/ gas 9. There's no need to peel the

vegetables – just give them a wash and roughly chop

them. Break the garlic bulb into cloves, leaving them

unpeeled.

Pile all the veg, garlic and herbs into the middle of a

large roasting tray and drizzle with olive oil. Drizzle the

beef with olive oil and season well with salt and

pepper, rubbing it all over the meat. Place the beef

on top of the vegetables.

To cook your beef:

Place the roasting tray in the preheated oven. Turn

the heat down immediately to 200°C/400°F/gas 6

and cook for 1 hour for medium beef. If you prefer it

medium-rare, take it out 5 to 10 minutes earlier. For

well done, leave it in for another 10 to 15 minutes.

If you're doing roast potatoes and veggies, this is the

time to crack on with them – get them into the oven

for the last 45 minutes of cooking. Baste the beef

halfway through cooking and if the veg look dry, add

a splash of water to the tray to stop them burning.

When the beef is cooked to your liking, take the tray

out of the oven and transfer the beef to a board to

rest for 15 minutes or so. Cover it with a layer of tinfoil

and a tea towel and put aside while you make your

gravy, horseradish sauce and Yorkshire puddings.

Ingredients

sage, or a mixture

Calories

860

Carbs

13.3g

Sugar

7.6g

Fat

54.0g

Saturates

21.1g

Protein

79.8g