Zainab’s French Bistro Inspired Roast Beef with a Shallot and Roasted Garlic Gravy, Steamed Asparagus and Dauphinoise Potatoes

“When Ladies in Beef challenged me to create a dish showing a twist on the traditional beef roast dinner my French Bistro Inspired Roast Beef immediately sprung to mind. What better way to show off the naturally delicious British beef and bring out its flavour than by pairing it with shallot and roasted garlic gravy, steamed asparagus and dauphinoise potatoes. I’ve also learnt that British beef is amongst the most sustainable in the world (GHG equivalent CIEL 2020), making it a fantastic lunch or dinner option.” – Zainab Pirzada, @cookingwithzainab

Ingredients

For the beef:

British rump joint ~ 0.98kg 

5 tbsp dijon mustard  

3 tbsp sea salt  

3 tbsp mixed peppercorns (or black if you can’t find) 

2 tbsp dried herbs du Provence  

For the gravy: 

1.5 tbsp plain flour  

3 tbsp unsalted butter  

500ml beef stock 

125ml whole milk 

6-8 shallots 

2 bulbs of garlic  

1 sprig of rosemary 

1 sprig of thyme  

For the dauphinoise potatoes: 

250ml double cream  

200ml whole milk  

2 bayleaves 

1 tsp cloves  

1 tsp peppercorns  

2 garlic cloves, peeled 

10-12 white potatoes  

150g extra strong cheddar  

200g gruyere or comte cheese 

For the asparagus: 

300g asparagus  

Ice cubes 

To serve: 

6-8 radishes, thinly sliced  

Baguette  

Salted butter  

Instructions

To make the dauphinoise potatoes: 

1. Start by adding double cream, milk, bayleaves, cloves, peppercorns and garlic cloves to a saucepan.  
2. Bring it to the boil and take it off the heat. Let it sit for 30 mins before using.  
3. Thinly slice the potatoes, highly recommend using a mandolin here and getting them as thin as possible.  
4. Add half the sliced potatoes to a baking tray and pour over half the infused cream and  half the cheese.  
5. Add the remaining potatoes, pour over the rest of the cream and finish with cheese. 
6. Cover with foil and bake in oven for 1 hour 15 mins covered at 200C, then take the foil off and bake for a further 10 mins or until its golden brown on top. 

To make the beef: 

1. Preheat the oven to 240C 
2. Start by patting the beef dry with a kitchen towel.  
3. Lather it in dijon mustard, ensuring it’s well covered all over.  
4. Crush mixed peppercorns and add them to a bowl with sea salt, mix it together.  
5. Sprinkle over the peppercorn and salt mix, be generous!  
6. Sprinkle over the dried herbs du Provence, ensuring that you’ve created a nice thin crust. 
7. Peel and cut the shallots in half and slice the tops off the garlic bulbs, add them to a large roasting tray along with beef stock, fresh rosemary and thyme.  
8. Place the beef on top and roast for 20 mins at 240C, then lower it to 180C for 25 mins for medium rare. The total cooking time for this recipe is between 45 mins – 1 hr 15 mins depending on how well done you like your beef cooked.  
9. Take the beef out of the oven and let it rest, covered In foil for 20 mins. 
10. Once rested, slice it up and serve.   

To make the gravy: 

1. Remove the roasted shallots from the pan and keep them aside, we’ll serve them with the beef.  
2. Strain the pan juices, getting rid of any bits and squeeze in the roasted garlic.  
3. In a saucepan, melt 2 tbsp of butter and add flour, whisk it together to make a roux, let it cook for 1 min before adding in the strained pan juices.  Bring it to the boil and let it simmer and thicken for 2 mins, then whisk in the milk.  
4. Again bring to the boil and simmer for 5 mins or until its to your desired thickness.  

To make the asparagus: 

1. Steam for 3-4 mins 
2. To a large bowl add plenty of ice and cold water, once the asparagus has cooked, add it to the ice bath for 2 mins, then drain and serve.  
3. Plunging it in an ice bath helps the asparagus keep its bright green colour.  

Serve it all together with some bread and butter on the side and enjoy!