British Sunday Roast - Ethnic Foods R Us

(Photo Attributed to Author: Robbie Jim)

The traditional British Sunday Roast is a classic meal. Normally served on special “big” family gathering days, like the Sunday main meal, British Sunday Roast is considered by many to be Great Britain’s most famous meal. Succulent roast sirloin beef, with Yorkshire pudding and roasted vegetables … folks, it just doesn’t get any better than this!

British Sunday Roast Recipe-

Ingredients:

For the Roast-

3 lb. (1.5 kg) rolled and tied, boneless lean sirloin of beef, trimmed of excessive fat, but some fat left on
3 tsp. English mustard
6 large cloves garlic, peeled and halved lengthwise
salt and pepper, to taste

For the Yorkshire pudding-

1¾ oz (50g) all-purpose flour
1 large egg
3-1/2 oz (100 ml) 2% milk
2 tsp. sunflower oil

For the Roasted Vegetables-

3 lb. (1.35 kg) potatoes, peeled and chopped into small cubes
1-½ lb. (675g) baby parsnips, peeled and halved lengthwise
1-½ lb. (675g) baby carrots, halved lengthways
Sunflower oil and olive oil cooking spray
1-½ lb. (675g) broccoli florets

For the Gravy-

1 tsp. English mustard
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
15 oz. (450 ml) beef stock (or for an even richer gravy, use lamb stock)
juices from the roasted beef sirloin

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 325° Fahrenheit (160°C).
Season the roast all over with salt and pepper, to taste, and rub well into the meat. Rub the English mustard all over and into the roast also.
Using a sharp paring knife, cut 12 slits into the fatty side of the roast, spaced evenly across the surface. Insert the garlic halves into the slits. They should be well-lodged, so deepen and widen the slits if necessary – you want at least 3/4 of the garlic pieces buried into the meat.
Place the roast, fat side up, on a rack in a roasting pan. For medium well done, roast the meat in the oven for two hours; baste it now and then with the savory juices in the bottom of the pan. (Note: for medium rare, roast for 1-3/4 hours, and for well done, about 2-1/2 hours)
While the meat is roasting, prepare your Yorkshire pudding batter. In a mixing bowl, blend together the flour and a pinch of salt. Make a depression in the center and crack the egg open and into the depression. Add a bit of the milk and stir, gradually beating and starting to work the egg into the flour. Little by little, stir and beat in the remaining milk and 4 tablespoons of water, until all the flour is well incorporated and the batter is lump-free and very smooth. Set aside for now.
Now prepare your vegetables. Place the potatoes in a large pot of vigorously boiling water and boil for 5 full minutes. Drain well in a sieve or colander, and return to the pot, then put a tight lid on and shake vigorously to roughen the potato cubes’ surfaces. You do this because it will help make them crispy.
Place the carrots and parsnips in a large, deep saucepan of boiling water, boil for 3 minutes, then drain them.
About one hour before your roast is going to be done cooking, place 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil in a non-stick roasting pan and the remaining 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil in another non-stick roasting pan. Heat the pans on stovetop burners over medium-high flame. Place the potatoes into the pan with 2 tablespoons of oil, and the carrots and parsnips into the other pan. Spray the tops of all of the vegetable with olive oil, then straight-away place the pans in the oven with the beef. If you have a gas oven, place the vegetables below the roast beef, and the potatoes above. After half and hour, turn the vegetables and potatoes over, to ensure even browning and crispiness all over.
Once your beef is finished cooking, take it out of the oven and raise the heat to 425°F (220°C). Place the roast on a warmed platter, pull out the garlic pieces (reserve them for the gravy) and cover the roast with foil to keep it nice and warm.
Divide the oil for the Yorkshire puddings amongst 12 non-stick muffin tins and place in the top rack of the oven to heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Move the potatoes down a shelf, if necessary. Now stir up the batter again, and pour it into the tins. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the puddings have risen and have turned a rich, golden brown.
While the pudding bakes, steam your broccoli for 5 or 6 minutes or until a little tender, but still a bit crunchy (Note: if you like very soft broccoli, steam longer, about 8 or 9 minutes).
Now make your gravy while steaming the broccoli. Using a basting siphon, draw some fatty juices out of the bottom of the roasting pan, and squeeze the juices into a frying skillet through a sieve to keep any sediment from going into the skillet. Using a mortar and pestle with a little of the juices put into the pestle, place the garlic pieces and pulverize until you have a perfectly smooth mash. (You can also do this with a food processor or electric blender)
Place the skillet on the stovetop and pour in the beef stock, add in the garlic mash, stir the juices, mash and stock together, add in the flour, stir well again, and bring the the mixture to a boil. Once a boil is achieved, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Add and stir in 1 teaspoon of English mustard and cook, stirring and scraping any residue off the skillet’s bottom. Simmer, stir, and cook until the gravy thickens to your desired consistency.
To serve your British Sunday Roast dinner, place the meat onto a very large, warmed serving platter. Arrange the potatoes, vegetables and the Yorkshire puddings around the roast. Pour the gravy into a gravy boat and place it, along with the serving platter on the table.