Roast Beef Sunday Lunch
Before you start
Get this prep done first and the cook runs a lot calmer: all knife and measuring work with no heat.
1.2kg potatoes: peeled and quartered
Yorkshire batter ingredients: weighed out and ready
1.2kg beef joint: out of the fridge 30 min before cooking
In order
11:00 am
15 min
oven + hob
Preheat oven to 200 °C fan / 220 °C and make Yorkshire batter
140g flour · 4 eggs · 200ml milk · pinch of salt
● hands-on
Done when: smooth batter with no lumps; cover and refrigerate until needed (rested batter rises higher)
11:15 am
5 min
hob + oven
Sear the beef joint and slide it into the oven
1.2kg beef joint · 2 tbsp oil · 1 tsp mustard powder · salt & pepper
● hands-on
Done when: deep brown sear on all sides, in the oven and timer running
11:20 am
15 min
hob
Parboil the potatoes
1.2kg Maris Piper potatoes · salted water
● hands-on
Done when: edges fluffy; drain and shake hard in the colander to roughen the surface
11:35 am
5 min
oven
Get potatoes into hot fat
potatoes · 4 tbsp goose fat
● hands-on
11:40 am
50 min
oven
Beef and potatoes roasting
beef joint · potatoes · oven at 200 °C fan
○ mostly hands-off
Target: beef internal temp 55–58 °C for medium-rare, 58–62 °C for medium. Start checking from the next step.
12:05 pm
2 min
oven
Turn the potatoes
potatoes in roasting tin
● hands-on
12:07 pm
23 min
oven
Beef finishing: check the temp
probe thermometer
○ mostly hands-off
Done when: thermometer reads your target temp. Remove beef immediately and tent with foil.
12:30 pm
5 min
oven
Remove beef to rest, oven to 220 °C fan / 240 °C, turn potatoes
beef · foil for tenting
● hands-on
12:35 pm
5 min
oven
Heat Yorkshire tin in the now-blasting oven
12-cup muffin tin · ½ tsp sunflower oil per hole
○ mostly hands-off
Done when: oil is smoking; this is non-negotiable for Yorkshires that rise
12:40 pm
20 min
oven
Yorkshire puddings baking: do not open the door
chilled batter
○ mostly hands-off
Done when: golden, puffed and crisp; opening the door before 20 min will collapse them
12:40 pm
15 min
hob
Make the gravy
beef resting juices · 1 tbsp flour · 300ml hot stock · 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
● hands-on
Done when: glossy and thickened; keep warm on the lowest heat
12:52 pm
5 min
hob
Steam the vegetables
400g green beans or tenderstem broccoli · knob of butter
● hands-on
Done when: just tender with a little bite
1:00 pm
Carve & serve
Timings are scheduled so everything is ready at 1:00 pm. Adjust the “Ready by” time above to fit your meal.