By Pete Evans
Serves: 4-6
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour 35 minutes (plus 15 minutes resting time)
Ingredients:
1.2 kg (2 lb 10 1/3 oz) rolled and tied scotch fillet, boneless rib eye, sirloin or rump
4 tablespoons coconut oil or other good-quality fat
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 carrots, halved lengthways
1 onion, skin on, thickly sliced
1 garlic bulb, cloves separated and peeled
8 sprigs parsley leaves, torn
4 sprigs thyme
600 ml (20¼ fl oz/2½ cups) beef stock
Method:
Preheat the oven to 160°C (325C/Gas 3). Rub the beef with a little coconut oil or fat and a generous pinch each of salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of the coconut oil or fat in a large roasting tin over high
heat. Cook the beef, turning occasionally for 5 minutes, or until well browned on all sides. Remove the beef from the roasting tin and add the carrot, onion and garlic in a single layer. Place the beef on top of the vegetables and add 250 ml of water. Roast for 60 minutes using a meat thermometer to medium–rare (55–60°C /131–140F), or for 65 minutes for medium (63–66°C) (145–150F). If you like your meat well done, leave in the oven for a further 10–15 minutes until it reaches 69–74°C (156–165F). Transfer the roast beef to a carving tray, cover loosely with foil and allow to rest for 15 minutes.
To make the gravy, discard the skin from the onion, pour in the beef stock and place the roasting tin over medium heat. Use a wooden spoon to scrape the base of the tinand dislodge any cooked-on bits. Add the thyme. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Skim and discard the layer of fat from the surface. Place the vegetables and
liquid in a blender and blend until smooth, then pass through a fine sieve. If the gravy is too thin, transfer it to a saucepan and cook over medium heat until it reaches your desired consistency.
To serve, cut the roast beef into thick slices, arrange the slices on serving plates and serve with roasted vegetables and gravy. Leftover gravy can be transferred to an airtight container and frozen for another time. It will keep for 3 months in the freezer.
