Roast Beef
A classic French-style main course featuring oven-roasted beef served with mixed vegetables and a light pan-juice sauce.
Ingredients
beef
800g
carrot (cut into about 1 cm dice)
1
onion (cut into about 1 cm dice)
1
celery (cut into about 1 cm dice)
1
thyme
1 sprig
bay leaf
1 leaf
garlic
2 cloves
salt
to taste
pepper
to taste
oil (for searing beef)
500ml
butter
50g
beef stock
300ml
white wine
200ml
Instructions
1
Dice the Vegetables
Wash the carrot, onion, and celery thoroughly, then cut into about 1 cm dice (see page 96).
2
Tie the Beef
Remove excess fat from the beef and tie it with kitchen twine. To keep the meat from being tied crooked, start from the middle and work toward both ends, spacing the strings at equal intervals—about six or seven pieces of twine should suffice.
3
Sear the Beef
Season the beef evenly with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a flat pan, then sear the beef until the surface is golden brown. Drain off the excess oil.
4
Sauté Vegetables and Arrange on Roasting Pan
Sauté the diced vegetables from step 1 in the same pan used in step 3. Spread the sautéed vegetables on a roasting pan, place the beef on top, then sprinkle with thyme, bay leaf, and garlic. To keep the meat from looking dry, brush the surface with melted butter.
5
Roast
Place the beef in a 200°C oven and roast for about 20 minutes until medium-rare (preheat the oven to 200°C). Then transfer the beef to a wire rack and let it rest in a moderately warm place for about 20 minutes.
6
Sauté Vegetables Again
Lightly sauté the diced vegetables left on the pan once more.
7
Add White Wine
Pour in the white wine.
8
Deglaze the Pan
Once you can smell the aroma of the wine and the liquid has reduced, pour in the beef stock to dilute the pan juices.
9
Reduce the Sauce
Strain the liquid from step 8 and skim off excess fat, then return it to the pan and simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes, skimming off any foam that rises to the surface.
10
Strain the Sauce
Strain through a fine sieve.
11
Finish
Your sauce for the roast beef is now ready. Pour the sauce over the sliced roast beef and serve.
