Beef Eye Round au Jus
1 beef eye round roast (41⁄2 pounds), trimmed
11⁄2 teaspoons salt
1⁄2 teaspoon dried thyme
1⁄4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 bag (16 ounces) carrots, peeled and cut into 2" by 1⁄4" matchstick strips
1 pound leeks (3 medium), white and light green
parts, cut into 2" by 1⁄4" matchstick strips
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
11⁄4 cups dry red wine
1⁄2 cup water
1 bay leaf
1. Preheat oven to 450°F. In small bowl, combine salt, thyme, and pepper; use to rub on roast. In 10- inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat until very hot. Add beef and cook until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer beef to nonreactive medium roasting pan (14" by 10").
2. Add carrots, leeks, and garlic to skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until carrots are tender, about 7 minutes. Arrange vegetable mixture around beef.
3. Roast beef 25 minutes. Add wine, water, and bay leaf to roasting pan. Turn oven control to 325°F and roast until meat thermometer inserted in center of roast reaches 140°F, about 45 minutes longer. Internal temperature of meat will rise to 145°F (medium) upon standing. Or roast until desired doneness. Remove and discard bay leaf.
4. When roast is done, transfer to warm large platter and let stand 15 minutes to set juices for easier slicing. To serve, cut roast into thin slices and serve with vegetables. Makes 12 main-dish servings. Roast some herbed new potatoes at the same time. And for the tenderest results, do not roast this cut to more than medium rare.

Beef Rib Roast with Creamy Horseradish Sauce
1 (4-rib) beef rib roast from small end (7 pounds), trimmed and chine bone removed
3 tablespoons whole tricolor peppercorns (red, green, and black)
1 teaspoon salt
Creamy Horseradish Sauce (below)
1. Preheat oven to 325°F. In medium roasting pan (14" by 10"), place rib roast, fat side up. In mortar, with pestle, crush peppercorns with salt. Use to rub on fat side of roast.
2. Roast beef until meat thermometer inserted in thickest part of meat (not touching bone) reaches 140°F, about 3 hours. Internal temperature of meat will rise to 145°F (medium) upon standing. Or roast until desired doneness.
3. When roast is done, transfer to warm large platter and let stand 15 minutes to set juices for easier carving. Meanwhile, prepare Creamy Horseradish Sauce. Makes 10 main-dish servings.
Creamy Horseradish Sauce
In small bowl, combine 1 jar (6 ounces) white horseradish, drained, 1⁄2 cup mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon sugar, and 1⁄2 teaspoon salt. Whip 1⁄2 cup heavy or whipping cream; fold into horseradish mixture. Makes about 12⁄3 cups.

Beef with Yorkies and roast potatoes meal
Serves 4
Ingredients:
For the potatoes:
500g red-skinned potatoes
1 lemon
4 sprigs of fresh thyme or rosemary
1 bulb of garlic
For the Yorkies:
Just under 1 mug of plain flour
1 mug of milk
1 egg
For the carrots:
500g small carrots
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 fresh bay leaves
1 heaped tbsp caster sugar
Knob of butter
For the gravy:
½ a red onion
12 baby button mushrooms
1 heaped tbsp plain flour
1 small wineglass of red wine
300ml organic chicken stock
For the beef:
8 sprigs each of fresh rosemary, sage and thyme
700g fillet of beef
For the seasonings:
Olive oil
Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and black pepper
For the watercress salad:
½ a red onion
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp golden caster sugar
1 x 100g bag of prewashed watercress
To serve:
Creamed horseradish sauce
English mustard
A bottle of red wine
Method: How to make roast beef with baby Yorkies meal
To start: Get all your ingredients and equipment ready. Fill and boil the kettle. Turn the oven on to 220ºC/425ºF/gas 7, and place a 12 hole shallow bun tin on the top shelf. Put 1 large saucepan and 2 large frying pans on a medium heat. Put the fine slicer disc attachment into the food processor.
Potatoes: Wash the potatoes, leaving the skins on. Chop into 2cm chunks and throw into one of the large frying pans. Cover with boiling water, season with salt and cover with a lid. Turn the heat right up, and boil for 8minutes, or until just cooked. Fill and reboil the kettle.
Beef: Quickly pick and finely chop the rosemary, sage and thyme leaves. Turn the heat under the empty frying pan up to full whack. Mix the herbs together and spread them around the chopping board with a good pinch of salt and pepper. Cut the fillet in half lengthways, then roll each piece back and forth so they are completely coated in herbs. Add the meat to the hot empty frying pan with a few good lugs of olive oil. You must turn it every minute while you get on with other jobs. Don’t forget to seal the ends.
Carrots: Tip the carrots into the saucepan and just cover with boiling water. Add 2 sprigs of thyme, a couple of bay leaves, a good pinch of salt, a splash of olive oil and 1 heaped tablespoon of sugar. Cook with a lid on until tender.
Yorkies: Put the flour, milk and egg into the liquidizer with a pinch of salt. Blitz, then quickly and confidently remove the bun tin from the oven and close the door. In one quick movement, back and forth, drizzle a little olive oil in each compartment, then do the same with the batter until each one is half full (any remaining batter can be used for pancakes another day). Place in the top of the oven, close the door and do not open for 14 minutes, until golden and risen.
Potatoes: Check that the potatoes are cooked through, then drain and return to the same frying pan. Leave on a high heat and drizzle over some olive oil. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, speed-peel in strips of lemon zest and add 4 sprigs of thyme or rosemary. Halve the bulb of garlic widthways, squash each half with the back of a knife and add to the pan. Toss everything together, then roughly squash down with a masher. Toss every 3 minutes or so, until golden and crisp.
Gravy: Reduce the heat under the beef a little. Peel the red onion half. Finely slice in the food processor. Add half the onion to the beef pan with a splash of olive oil, the other half to a salad bowl. Rinse the mushrooms in a colander and slice in the processor, then add to the beef pan. Stir everything around and remember to keep turning the beef regularly for 5 minutes.

Country Pot Roast
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 boneless beef chuck cross-rib pot roast or boneless chuck eye roast (4 pounds), trimmed
1 large onion (12 ounces), coarsely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 stalk celery, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 can (15 ounces) crushed tomatoes
1⁄2 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
1⁄4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. In nonreactive 5-quart Dutch oven, heat oil over high heat until very hot. Add roast and cook until browned. Transfer roast to plate.
2. Add onion, carrot, and celery to Dutch oven and cook over medium-high heat until lightly browned. Add garlic; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 20 seconds.
3. Return roast to Dutch oven; add tomatoes, broth, salt, thyme, pepper, and bay leaf; heat to boiling. Cover and place in oven. Bake, turning roast once, until roast is tender, about 3 hours.
4. When roast is done, transfer to large platter and keep warm. Discard bay leaf. Skim and discard fat from liquid in Dutch oven. Transfer half of vegetables and liquid to blender; cover, with center part of cover removed to let steam escape, and puree until smooth. Pour pureed mixture into Dutch oven and stir until combined; heat to boiling. Cut meat into thin slices and serve with vegetables and sauce. Makes 8 maindish servings.
This is blue-ribbon country cooking. To give the homestyle sauce a bit more body and flavor, we puree half of the vegetables.

Filet Mignon with Mustard-Caper Sauce
4 beef tenderloin steaks (filet mignon),
11⁄2 inches thick (6 ounces each)
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1⁄4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
1⁄3 cup dry white wine
1⁄3 cup beef broth
1⁄3 cup heavy or whipping cream
3 tablespoons capers, drained
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1⁄4 cup chopped watercress leaves plus additional leaves
1. Sprinkle steaks with salt and pepper. In nonstick 12-inch skillet, heat oil over high heat until very hot. Add steaks and cook, without turning, until browned, about 7 minutes. Turn steaks and cook 7 minutes longer for medium-rare or until desired doneness. Transfer to plates; keep warm.
2. Add shallots to drippings in skillet; cook 30 seconds. Stir in wine; cook, stirring, until browned bits are loosened from bottom of skillet. Stir in broth and boil 1 minute. Stir in cream; boil 1 minute longer. Stir in capers, mustard, and chopped watercress.
3. To serve, spoon sauce over meat and garnish with watercress. Makes 4 main-dish servings.
Steak au Poivre
Prepare as directed but in Step 1 use 2 tablespoons crushed black peppercorns. In Step 2 omit shallots, broth, capers, and mustard; stir in wine and 2 tablespoons brandy, stirring until browned bits are loosened. Stir in cream and boil until thickened. Replace watercress with 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley A well-browned exterior is the key to maximum flavor with sautéed beef. Be sure to cook it over high heat.

Grillades
4 beef minute steaks (6 ounces each)
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1⁄4 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 can (14 to 16 ounces) tomatoes in puree
1 cup beef broth
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1. Sprinkle beef with salt and black pepper. In nonstick 12-inch skillet, heat 1 teaspoon oil over mediumhigh heat until very hot. Add steaks and cook until browned, about 2 minutes per side, transferring steaks to plate as they are browned.
2. Add remaining 2 teaspoons oil to skillet; reduce heat to medium. Add onion and cook, stirring, 5 minutes. Add green pepper, celery, and garlic; cook, stirring, 3 minutes longer. Add tomatoes with their puree, breaking them up with side of spoon. Stir in broth, Worcestershire, and bay leaves. Increase heat to high; heat to boiling.
3. Return steaks to skillet and reduce heat. Cover and simmer 40 minutes. Transfer steaks to platter; keep warm. Increase heat to high; stir in vinegar and heat to boiling. Boil until sauce has thickened, about 5 minutes. Discard bay leaves. To serve, spoon sauce over steaks. Makes 4 main-dish servings.
This New Orleans–style smothered steak is often served with grits for breakfast. We like it for lunch and dinner, too.

New England Boiled Dinner
corned beef brisket (4 to 41⁄2 pounds)
1 medium onion studded with 4 whole cloves
8 cups water
8 medium all-purpose potatoes (21⁄2 pounds), peeled and each cut in half
8 carrots, peeled and each cut in half
1 small rutabaga (2 pounds), peeled and cut in half, each half cut into 8 wedges
1 small green cabbage (2 pounds), cut into 8 wedges
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Dijon mustard
bottled white horseradish
1. In 8-quart Dutch oven, place brisket, clove-studded onion, and water and heat to boiling over high heat. With slotted spoon, skim and discard foam from surface. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until brisket is tender, 2 hours 30 minutes to 3 hours.
2. Add potatoes, carrots, and rutabaga to Dutch oven; heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.
3. With slotted spoon, transfer brisket and vegetables to deep large platter; keep warm.
4. Heat liquid remaining in Dutch oven to boiling over high heat. Add cabbage; heat to boiling. Cover and boil until cabbage is tender, about 5 minutes.
5. Slice brisket very thinly across the grain. Transfer sliced meat to platter with vegetables. Place cabbage wedges on platter, sprinkle parsley on vegetables, and serve mustard and horseradish alongside. Makes 8 main-dish servings.

Ropa Vieja
In Spanish, ropa vieja means “old clothes.” The stew is simmered a long time so the meat can be shredded into thin strips resembling tattered fabric.
1 beef flank steak (13⁄4 pounds)
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons salt
5 cups water
4 teaspoons olive oil
1 large onion (12 ounces), sliced
1 red pepper, cut into 1⁄2-inch-wide strips
1 yellow pepper, cut into 1⁄2-inch-wide strips
1 green pepper, cut into 1⁄2-inch-wide strips
3 garlic cloves, crushed with garlic press
3 serrano or jalapeño chiles, seeded and finely chopped
1⁄4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 can (14 to 16 ounces) tomatoes
capers
1. Cut flank steak crosswise into thirds. In nonreactive 5-quart Dutch oven, combine flank steak, chopped onion, carrot, bay leaf, 1 teaspoon salt, and water; heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until meat is very tender, 2 hours 30 minutes to 3 hours. Remove Dutch oven from heat. Remove cover and let flank steak stand 30 minutes.
2. In 12-inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add sliced onion, red, yellow, and green peppers, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring often, until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in garlic, serrano chiles, and cinnamon; cook 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes with their juice, breaking them up with side of spoon, and cook 5 minutes.
3. With slotted spoon, transfer beef to large bowl; strain broth. Set aside 2 cups broth (reserve remaining broth for another use). Using two forks, shred beef into fine strips.
4. Stir 2 cups broth and shredded meat into pepper mixture and simmer, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes. Sprinkle with capers to serve. Makes 6 main-dish servings.

Steak sarnie and beetroot salad meal
Serves 4
Ingredients:
For the potatoes:
500g baby new potatoes
6 cloves of garlic
A few sprigs of fresh rosemary
½ a lemon
For the mushrooms:
4 large flat Portobello mushrooms (approx. 250g in total)
2 cloves of garlic
½ a fresh red chilli
2 sprigs of fresh flat-leaf parsley
½ a lemon
70g mature Cheddar cheese
For the beetroot salad:
1 x 250g pack of cooked vac-packed beetroots
Balsamic vinegar
½ a lemon
A bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley
50g feta cheese
For the steak sarnie:
2 x 300g best-quality rump steaks
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 ciabatta loaf
A small handful of jarred peppers
A couple of sprigs of fresh flat-leaf parsley
Horseradish sauce, to serve
A large handful of prewashed rocket, to serve
For the seasonings:
Olive oil
Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and black pepper
Method: How to make steak sarnie and beetroot salad meal
To start: Get all your ingredients and equipment ready. Put a griddle pan on a medium heat and a large frying pan on a high heat. Turn the grill to full whack. Fill and boil the kettle. Put the coarse grater attachment into the food processor.
Potatoes: Cut any larger new potatoes in half, then add all of them to the large empty frying pan with a good pinch of salt. Quickly squash 6 unpeeled cloves of garlic with the heel of your hand, then add to the pan. Pour in enough boiling water to cover, then cook for 12 to 15 minutes, or until cooked through.
Mushrooms: Lay the mushrooms, stalk side up, on a chopping board. Trim the stalks and place the mushrooms stalk side up in a small earthenware dish that they fit into fairly snugly. Crush ½ an unpeeled clove of garlic over each mushroom. Finely chop ½ a red chilli and a couple of parsley sprigs, and divide between the mushrooms. Grate over the zest of ½ a lemon, drizzle well with olive oil and season. Cut the Cheddar into 4 chunks and pop 1 on each mushroom.
Beetroot salad: Grate the beetroot in the food processor. Remove the bowl from the processor, take out the grater attachment and pour in a couple of lugs of balsamic vinegar and a few lugs of extra virgin olive oil. Squeeze in the juice of ½ a lemon. Finely chop a bunch of parsley and add most of it. Stir to dress, then tip into a nice serving bowl. Scatter over the rest of the parsley. Crumble over the feta. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and take to the table.
Mushrooms:Grill on the top shelf for 9 to 10 minutes, or until golden.
Steak sarnie: Put the steaks on a board. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, pick and scatter over the thyme leaves, and drizzle with olive oil. Rub the flavours into the meat, then flip over and repeat on the other side. Pound the steaks once or twice with your fists to flatten them a little, then put them into the screaming hot griddle pan to cook for 1 to 2 minutes on each side for medium rare, or longer if you prefer. This depends on the thickness of your steaks of course, so use your instincts and cook them to your liking. Wash your hands.
Potatoes: Check they are cooked through, and drain in a colander. Return the pan to a high heat, add a good lug of olive oil and tip the potatoes and garlic back in. Use a potato masher to lightly burst the skins open (don’t mash them though). Add a few sprigs of rosemary and a pinch of salt. Toss every couple of minutes until golden and crisp.
Steak sarnie: Put the ciabatta loaf into the bottom of the oven. Finely chop the peppers on a large clean board. Move the steaks to the board and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Finely chop a few parsley leaves, mixing them in with the peppers and all the steak juices. Scrape the pepper mix to one side of the board. Slice up the steaks at an angle.
Mushrooms: Remove the mushrooms from the oven and turn the grill off. Take the mushrooms straight to the table.
Steak sarnie: Get the ciabatta out of the oven and slice it open with a serrated knife. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil from a height. Spread over as much horseradish as you like, then arrange the rocket leaves on one half. Lay the steak slices on top. Mix and scrape the peppers and juices from the board and scatter over the meat, then fold together and take to the table.
Potatoes: Tip the potatoes on to a serving platter, and put ½ a lemon on the side for squeezing over. Take to the table.