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Roast Rib of Beef with Goose Fat Potatoes

Ingredients

1.75kg King Edward Potatoes, halved or quartered
200g Goose Fat
4kg Fore-Rib Joint
1 Onion, thickly sliced
1.5 tsp Plain Flour

For Yorkshire Puddings:
225g Plain Flour
0.5 tsp Salt
4 Eggs
300ml Full-Cream Milk

Method

Preheat the oven to 230c/Gas Mark 8. Put the potatoes in a pan of well-salted water, bring to the boil and simmer over a medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes, until soft on the outside but slightly hard in the centre. Drain, reserving 600ml cooking water for the gravy. Cool until the steam has died down.

Meanwhile, put the fat in a large roasting tin and place on the bottom shelf of the oven for 5 minutes. Return the potatoes to the pan, cover with a lid and shake to rough up the edges. Remove the tin from the oven, add the potatoes and turn until coated in the fat. Drain off the surplus goose fat into a bowl and reserve for the Yorkshire Puddings.

Calculate the beef's cooking time, allowing 30 minutes to brownm then 12 minutes per 500g for rare; 15 minutes for medium; and 20 minutes for well done. Put the onion in the centre of another large roasting tin. Brush the beef all over with oil, season well and sit on top of the onion. Put on the top shelf of the oven and roast for 30 minutes to brown well. Remove the potatoes from the oven and set aside. Change the temperature to 160C/Gas Mark 3 and roast for your remaining calculated cooking time - so 2 hours for a 4kg joint to be cooked medium.

Thirty minutes before the beef is done, make the Yorkshire Pudding batter. Sift the flour and salt into a bowl and make a well in the centre. Beat in the eggs with a whisk, gradually drawing in the flour and adding the milk and 150ml water, until you have a smooth batter. Set aside for 30 minutes. Return the potatoes to the oven.

When the beef is cooked, transfer it to a board, cover with foil and leave it in a warm place for 30 minutes. Lift the onions from the tin and set aside. Keep the tin for making the gravy. Increase the oven temperature to 220C/Gas Mark 7, turn the potatoes and move them to the lower oven shelf. Pour the excess beef fat from the roasting tin into a bowl with the goose fat, then add half a teaspoon of the fat to each hole of a 12 hole muffin tray. Put on the top shelf for 5 minutes until really hot. Divide the batter between the holes, filling each three-quarters full. Return to the oven and cook for 25-30 minutes until risen and golden. Remove from the oven, along with the roast potatoes.

Meanwhile, make the gravy. Place the roasting tin on the hob over a medium heat. Add the flour, stir for 30 seconds, then add a little of the water from the potatoes, scraping the pan with a wooden spoon to release the sticky juices. Gradually add the remaining water and simmer, stirring, for 4-5 minutes or until reduced to a well-flavoured gravy. Season, strain into a small saucepan and keep hot over a low heat.

Uncover the beef and pour any resting juices into the gravy. To carve, run a knife between the bones and eye of the meat in an L-shaped motion, removing rhe meat in one large piece. Thinly slice and serve with the onions, Yorkshire Puddings, potatoes and your choice of veg. Serve with the gravy and horseradish sauce.

Source: Rick Stein