Roast Beef with Garden Herbs & Gravy

Ingredients

• Large Topside joint approx 1.5kg
• 2-3 tbs vegetable or olive oil
• 3 carrots (halved across and then lengthways)
• 3 red onions (cut into chunky wedges)
• 6 cloves garlic (unpeeled)
• 200ml beef stock
• 1tsp sea salt
• 1tsp black peppercorns
• large handful herbs such as rosemary or thyme
• sage and parsley
• spoonful quality beef gravy granules (optional)

Instructions

1. Remove the meat from the fridge half an hour before you start cooking. Preheat the oven to 120ºC fan/140ºC conventional/Gas 1.
2. Prepare the carrots and onions and place into your Circulon Roaster tin with the garlic and a small drizzle of oil. Arrange a rack over the top if you have one.
3. Heat your Circulon Large Skillet over medium high heat. Rub the beef all over with a teaspoonful of the oil then place into your skillet and quickly seal on all sides. Lift out and transfer to the Roaster tin on top of the rack (or just resting on the vegetables). Pour over the stock.
4. Now make the herb crust by grinding the herbs, salt, peppercorns and remaining oil in a pestle and mortar to make a rough paste. Alternatively, chop the herbs and mix in a bowl with the salt and a teaspoonful of ground black pepper. Spread the herb paste all over the top of the meat to make a crust.
5. Cover loosely with foil and roast for an hour and a half, basting occasionally.
6. Remove the foil and roast for a further half an hour. If you have a meat thermometer, it should read 60ºC for medium or 50ºC for rare. If it’s not quite ready to your liking, pop it back in for another 20 minutes or so. When it’s ready, lift out and transfer to a board with the carrots and most of the onions and discard the garlic cloves. Cover loosely with foil and a tea towel and rest while you make the gravy and finish the accompaniments.
7. Pour 200ml boiling water into the Roaster tin (that still contains a few of the roasted onions) and stir with a Circulon turner or solid spoon to get all the caramelised food off the bottom of the tin. Pour all of this into your Circulon medium Saucepan or Saucepot and bring to a simmer. Mix the gravy granules with a little water according to the instructions and stir into the cooking juices. Allow to thicken and adjust with a little extra water or gravy granules according to taste.
8. Serve the beef sliced with the roasted carrots and onions on the side and gravy poured over.