3X 15Ml Spoon (3Tbsp) Fresh Tarragon

Roast beef with tarragon and chilli butter

Ingredients

3x 15ml spoon (3tbsp) fresh tarragon

800g shallots

50g (2oz) unsalted butter

1x 5ml spoon (1tsp) dried chilli flakes

1.3kg (3lb) lean rump roast or topside joint

Black pepper

450ml hot water

1 beef stock cube

25g (1oz) plain flour

150ml (¼pint) white wine

Equipment

Knife, chopping board, weighing scales, measuring spoon, small bowl, mixing spoon, kitchen towel, roasting tin with rack, oven gloves, large plate,

aluminium foil, kettle, measuring jug, whisk and sieve.

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C or Gas Mark 4.

2. Prepare the ingredients:

finely chop the tarragon
peel the shallots.

3. Mix the butter, tarragon and chilli flakes together in a small bowl.

4. Place the beef on a chopping board, score the surface of the joint with a sharp knife, pat dry with kitchen towel, season with black pepper and rub the flavoured butter all over the joint.

5. Place the beef joint on a metal rack in a large roasting tin and roast for the preferred, calculated cooking time.

6. One hour before the end of the cooking time, remove the roast from the oven, put the beef on a plate and remove the rack from the tin.

7. Add the shallots into the roasting tin, place the beefon top and return to the oven for the remainder of the cooking time.

8. When the beef is cooked transfer to a large plate with the shallots and loosely cover with foil.

9. Make up the stock.

10. Spoon off any excess oil from the tin, leaving about 2x 15ml spoon (2tbsp) of meat juices.

11. Place the tin over a medium heat and sprinkle over the flour.

12. Stir well with a small whisk, add a little stock and stir again, scraping the base of the pan to release any sediment.

13. Add the remaining stock, wine and any meat juices from the plate,season with black pepperand simmer for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally or until reduced to a well-flavoured gravy.

14. Strain the gravy before serving.

Top tips

Serve the beef with the gravy, vegetables and roast or boiled potatoes.
Apple or white grape juice can be used as a substitute for white wine.

Did you know?

During cooking, heat will cause the majority of the alcohol in the wine to evaporate from the gravy.

Nutrition information per 100g/serving: Energy 378/945kJ, protein 10.7/26.8g, carbohydrate 2.1/5.3g, carbohydrate of which sugars 1.1/2.8g, fat 4.1/10.1g, saturated fat 2.1/5.3g, dietary fibre 0.4/1.1g, salt 0.2/0.6g, iron 1.3/3.1mg

A more comprehensive nutritional analysis is available at meatandeducation.com