Sunday Roast
Sunday roast is a traditional British meal of roasted meat, potatoes, and accompaniments like Yorkshire pudding, vegetables, stuffing, gravy, and various condiments depending on the meat!
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 1 hour 30 minutes
Serves: 6-8
Make ahead: The potatoes can be peeled and placed in the pot with the water and kosher salt and kept at room temperature for up to 4 hours before cooking. The horseradish sauce can be made and refrigerated in an airtight container up to 2 days ahead.
Storage: Leftover Sunday roast components can be refrigerated in separate airtight containers for up to 4 days.
Ingredients
FOR THE BEEF AND VEGETABLES
- 1 (about 3-pound) beef rump or round roast, preferably tied with twine
- 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
- 1 pound medium carrots (6 to 8)
- 1 pound medium parsnips (4 to 5)
- 3 cloves garlic
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary, plus more for garnish if desired
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
FOR THE POTATOES
- 3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided plus more as desired
- 1/3 cup melted duck fat, chicken fat, butter, beef tallow, bacon fat, or olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
FOR THE HORSERADISH SAUCE, GRAVY, AND SERVING
- 1/2 medium lemon
- 1 small bunch fresh chives
- 1/2 cup crème fraîche or sour cream
- 1/4 cup prepared horseradish
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups beef broth, divided
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- Yorkshire pudding or other biscuit or bread
- Flaky salt, for sprinkling
Preparation
MAKE THE BEEF AND VEGETABLES
- Pat 1 (about 3-pound) beef rump or round roast dry with paper towels. Season all over with 2 teaspoons of the kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Let sit at room temperature for at least 1 or up to 2 hours.
- Meanwhile, peel 1 pound medium carrots and 1 pound medium parsnips. Halve crosswise, then halve or quarter each piece lengthwise so they are all about the same size.
- Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 375ºF.
- Finely grate 3 garlic cloves. Pick the leaves from 3 fresh rosemary sprigs, then finely chop (2 to 3 tablespoons).
- Place the garlic, rosemary, and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a small bowl and stir to combine. Rub the mixture all over the beef. Place in the middle of a roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet fat-side up.
- Scatter the carrots and parsnips around the beef. Drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, season with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and a few grinds of black pepper, and stir to coat. Arrange into an even layer.
- Roast until the outside of the roast is browned, about 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 275ºF. Roast until the beef is medium rare (registers 125ºF on an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part), about 1 hour more, checking the temperature after 30 minutes. Meanwhile, boil the potatoes.
MAKE THE POTATOES
- Peel and cut 3 pounds Yukon gold potatoes into 1 1/2-inch chunks. Place in a large saucepan or pot and add enough cold water to cover by about 1 inch. Add 1 tablespoon of the kosher salt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cook until the potatoes are nearly knife tender but not totally soft, about 10 minutes. Drain the potatoes in a colander, then shake the colander to rough up the edges of the potatoes.
- When the beef is ready, transfer the beef and vegetables to a serving platter with tongs. Tent the platter with aluminum foil to keep warm. Reserve the roasting pan or baking sheet and the pan drippings. Increase the oven temperature to 450ºF.
- Place 1/3 cup melted duck fat, chicken fat, butter, beef tallow, bacon fat, or olive oil; the remaining 1 teaspoon kosher salt; and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder on a rimmed baking sheet (do not use the one from the roast). Add the potatoes and gently toss to coat. Arrange in a single layer. Roast, stirring every 20 minutes, until golden-brown and very crisp, 60 to 80 minutes total.
- Meanwhile, make the horseradish sauce and gravy.
MAKE THE HORSERADISH SAUCE AND GRAVY
- Juice 1/2 medium lemon into a medium bowl until you have 1 tablespoon. Finely chop 1 small bunch chives until you have 1 tablespoon. Add the chives, 1/2 cup crème fraîche or sour cream, 1/4 cup prepared horseradish, 1 tablespoon water, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt to the bowl, and stir to combine. Taste and season with more kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper as needed.
- About 20 minutes before the potatoes are ready, place 1/4 cup of the beef broth and 2 tablespoons cornstarch in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Pour any drippings from the roasting pan or baking sheet into a small saucepan. Add the remaining 1 3/4 cups beef broth and 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- While whisking constantly, add the cornstarch mixture. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the gravy thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 8 minutes. Taste and season with kosher salt and black pepper as needed. Remove the saucepan from the heat and cover to keep warm.
- If desired, return the beef, carrots, and parsnips to a 200ºF oven to rewarm. Transfer the beef to a clean cutting board and cut across the grain into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Serve with the carrots, parsnips, potatoes, gravy, horseradish sauce, and Yorkshire pudding. Lightly sprinkle the beef with flaky salt and garnish with fresh rosemary sprigs if desired.