Sunday best
This British-style roast is a meal you can look forward to all week
Make a traditional Sunday roast with rosemary roasted beef, carrots and parsnips, crispy potatoes, creamy horseradish sauce and warm gravy.
I love the ritual of a big Sunday dinner. Whether it's a perfectly roasted chicken, a slow-simmered Sunday sauce, or a big pot of chicken chili (my family's favorite when I was growing up), there's something special about sitting down for a big meal once a week.
Sunday roast, or roast dinner, is a traditional British meal of roasted meat, potatoes and accompaniments like Yorkshire pudding, vegetables, stuffing, gravy and various condiments depending on the meat. My recipe makes roast beef, roasted carrots and parsnips, the crispiest potatoes of all time, a creamy horseradish sauce and a warm gravy for pouring over everything.
It's ambitious for sure, but with a little bit of planning, it's entirely possible to pull it off by yourself (take it from me — I live in an apartment with one oven). Here's how you can execute it without a hitch.
English Sunday roast
Servings: 6 to 8
For the beef and vegetables:
■ 1 (about 3-pound) beef rump or round roast, preferably tied with twine
■ 2 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed
■ ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
■ 1 pound medium carrots (6 to 8)
■ 1 pound medium parsnips (4 to 5)
■ 3 cloves garlic
■ 3 sprigs fresh rosemary, plus more for garnish if desired
■ 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
For the potatoes:
■ 3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes
■ 1 tablespoon plus
■ 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided, plus more as desired
■ ¹⁄³ cup melted duck fat, chicken fat, butter, beef tallow, bacon fat or olive oil
■ ½ teaspoon garlic powder
For the horseradish sauce, gravy and serving:
■ ½ medium lemon
■ 1 small bunch fresh chives
■ ½ cup creme fraiche or sour cream
■ ¼ cup prepared horseradish
■ 1 tablespoon water
■ ½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
■ Freshly ground black pepper
■ 2 cups beef broth, divided
■ 2 tablespoons cornstarch
■ 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
■ Flaky salt, for sprinkling
Make the beef and vegetables:
Pat the meat dry with paper towels. Season all over with 2 teaspoons of the kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Let sit at room temperature for at least one or up to two hours. Meanwhile, peel carrots and parsnips. Halve crosswise, then halve or quarter each piece lengthwise so they are all about the same size.
Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 375 F.
Finely grate the garlic cloves. Pick the leaves from three fresh rosemary sprigs, then finely chop (2 to 3 tablespoons). Place the garlic, rosemary and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a small bowl and stir to combine. Rub the mixture all over the beef. Place in the middle of a roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet fat-side up.
Scatter the carrots and parsnips around the beef. Drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, season with the remaining ½ teaspoon kosher salt and a few grinds of black pepper, and stir to coat. Arrange into an even layer.
Roast until the outside of the roast is browned, about 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 275 F. Roast until the beef is medium rare (registering 125 F on an instantread thermometer in the thickest part), about 1 hour more, checking the temperature after 30 minutes. Meanwhile, boil the potatoes.
Make the potatoes:
Peel and cut potatoes into 1 ½-inch chunks. Place in a large saucepan or pot and add enough cold water to cover by about 1 inch. Add 1 tablespoon of the kosher salt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cook until the potatoes are nearly knife tender but not totally soft, about 10 minutes. Drain the potatoes in a colander, then shake the colander to rough up the edges of the potatoes.
When the beef is ready, transfer the beef and vegetables to a serving platter with tongs. Tent the platter with aluminum foil to keep warm. Reserve the roasting pan or baking sheet and the pan drippings. Increase the oven temperature to 450 F.
Place the garlic powder, the remaining 1 teaspoon kosher salt and the fat, butter or olive oil of your choice on a rimmed baking sheet (do not use the one from the roast). Add the potatoes and gently toss to coat. Arrange in a single layer. Roast, stirring every 20 minutes, until golden-brown and very crisp, 60 to 80 minutes total. Meanwhile, make the horseradish sauce and gravy.
Make the horseradish sauce and gravy:
Juice lemon into a medium bowl until you have 1 tablespoon. Finely chop chives until you have 1 tablespoon. Add the chives, creme fraiche or sour cream, prepared horseradish, water and ½ teaspoon kosher salt to the bowl, and stir to combine. Taste and season with more kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper as needed.
About 20 minutes before the potatoes are ready, place ¼ cup of the beef broth and 2 tablespoons cornstarch in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Pour any drippings from the roasting pan or baking sheet into a small saucepan. Add the Worcestershire sauce and remaining 1 ¾ cups beef broth. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
While whisking constantly, add the cornstarch mixture. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the gravy thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 8 minutes. Taste and season with kosher salt and black pepper as needed. Remove the saucepan from the heat and cover to keep warm.
If desired, return the beef, carrots and parsnips to a 200 F oven to rewarm. Transfer the beef to a clean cutting board and cut across the grain into ¼-inch-thick slices. Serve with the carrots, parsnips, potatoes, gravy and horseradish sauce. Lightly sprinkle the beef with flaky salt and garnish with fresh rosemary sprigs if desired.
Rachel Perlmutter is a senior culinary producer for TheKitchn.com, a nationally known blog for those who love food and cooking. Submit any comments or questions to editorial@thekitchn.com.
A few tips
■ Ask the butcher to tie the beef. Whether you use beef round or round roast, it will keep the meat well-shaped for presentation and even cooking. It's not strictly necessary, but it's nice if you can.
■ Set the (covered) roasted beef on the back of your stove if you have room. The heat from the oven will keep everything perfectly warm.
■ Slice the beef as thinly as possible; this is a lean cut.
■ Make sandwiches with the leftover meat. Horseradish sauce, thinly sliced roast beef and a little gravy make a delicious sandwich. Add a handful of greens, if you have them.
