There’s nothing more comforting than a delicious roast topside of beef with lashings of gravy and a big ol’ Yorkshire pud. We served this recipe with roast beetroot, potatoes and a dollop of beetroot and horseradish cream, to add some colour and earthy flavours to the dish.

To achieve this, you should remove your meat from the oven around 5-10°C before it reaches this temperature, as it will continue to increase as it rests. How soon you remove it from the heat depends on its size: the larger the joint, the more the temperature will rise.

With a larger, longer cook like this, we recommend using an oven thermometer, such as our DOT Digital Oven Thermometer, to monitor your temperatures and alert you once it’s cooked. You can then check your beef through with your Thermapen, to ensure it has come to temperature throughout.

Temperatures

For your beef roast, you want to achieve the following final done temperatures (this means the temperature after the meat has rested), depending on your preference:

Rare: 52°C

Medium: 60°C

Well done: 71°C

Ingredients

For the Yorkshire puddings

• 140 g plain flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp fresh Thyme
• 175 ml whole milk
• 1 tbsp sunflower or vegetable oil

For the potatoes and beetroot

• 2 kg King Edward potatoes
• 8 small beetroots
• 1 big bunch fresh sage
• 8 cloves garlic
• 6 tbsp olive oil

For the beef

• 2 kg topside of beef, roughly 350g per person
• Salt & milled black pepper
• 2 carrots

Directions

Method for the Yorkshire puddings

• Bring the meat to room temperature at least 20 minutes before cooking.
• Preheat the oven to 220C°C fan/ gas mark 8.
• Pour a little sunflower oil evenly into your non-stick muffin tins and place in the oven to heat through.
• To make the batter, sift the flour and whisk the eggs. Make a well in the flour, pour the eggs in and then whisk all ingredients together.
• Gradually add the milk and carry on beating until the mix is completely smooth and free of lumps. Season, and add the thyme.
• Pour the batter into a jug, then remove the hot tins from the oven. Carefully and evenly pour the batter into the holes.
• Place the tins back in the oven and leave undisturbed for 20-25 mins until the puddings have puffed up and browned. Keep to one side.

To make the potatoes and beetroot

• Wash, peel, and quarter the potatoes. Parboil them in salted water for 10 minutes, then drain and shake gently to break up the edges.
• Wash and quarter the beetroot. Pick the sage leaves.
• Place the oil into a large roasting tray and add the unpeeled garlic and sage leaves. Heat in the oven for a couple of minutes before adding the root vegetables.
• Make sure the vegetables are well seasoned and combined with the garlic and sage. Cook for 45 minutes, or until golden and crisp.

Method for the beef

• Roughly chop the onion and carrot. Add to a roasting tray with three sprigs of fresh thyme, making a bed for the beef to be placed on.
• Rub and massage the topside with oil, salt and ground black pepper. Place the beef on top of the carrots and onion. Add to the oven with the beetroot and potatoes.
• Cook the meat for 20 minutes, then turn the oven down to 180˚C fan/ gas mark 4. For a medium finish, cook until the internal temperature reaches 55˚C medium rare, it will rise to 60℃ medium as it rests. Leave the meat to rest for 20-30 minutes before carving.
• Serve with a beetroot and horseradish cream. If you can’t buy this ready-made, then buy pre-prepared horseradish. Boil one large beetroot, mash, then add to the horseradish with 1 tbsp of sour cream.
• Serve slices of the beef with a Yorkshire pudding, the roasted beetroot and potatoes, and a dollop of beetroot and horseradish cream. Pour over lashings of hot gravy to finish.

Laura Tulloch

Thermapen Chef & Caterer

@laura_sussexfoodie

"I love my Thermapen, it really helps me cook with confidence. As a caterer the health and safety of everyone you cook for is paramount, but that doesn't mean you have to compromise with your cooking. A simple reassuring check with the Thermapen throughout the process is all that's needed to allow you to enjoy, and confidently serve what you've made."