Bord Bia - Irish Food Board
The flavour shows where the best grass grows
Ask your local butcher for a rib of beef for a really tender, tasty Sunday lunch joint. It is accompanied with a big tray of roasted vegetables and potatoes, so after this Irish dinner there’s really very little washing up!
Preheat the oven to 220ºC/425ºF/Gas 7. Season the joint of beef well. Heat a roasting tin suitable for the size of joint (too big and the juices will burn) for 5 minutes, then remove from the oven and stand the beef on its own bone fat side uppermost. Cover the meat with dripping or sunflower oil and place in the oven for 20 minutes until the joint is sealed and well coloured.
Reduce the temperature of the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas 4. Roast for 10 minutes per 450 g (1 lb) plus an extra 10 minutes for rare, basting regularly to ensure even cooking. A joint this size should take about 50 minutes. Increase the time by two minutes per 450 g (1 lb) for medium rare, or by 10 minutes for well done.
While the beef joint is roasting, peel the vegetables, remove any seeds and cut into chunky pieces, approximately the same size as the small onions. Place in a large bowl with the garlic, season well, then add the olive oil, thyme and paprika, tossing well to combine.
Remove the beef joint from the roasting tin and place on a large dish. Allow the meat to rest for about 40 minutes in a warm place before carving. Increase the oven temperature to 200ºC/400ºF/Gas 6.
Add the paprika-coated vegetables to the roasting tin that was used for the beef and roast for 10 minutes. Then reduce the oven temperature to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas 4 and roast for another 30-40 minutes until the vegetables are tender and lightly golden.
Carve the beef into slices and arrange on warmed plates with the paprika roasted vegetables. Serve at once.