Jamie Oliver’s Perfect Roast Beef

I've used a top round here because it is by far the most widely available roasting cut, but you can also use a rib of beef. The meat has to be rested after cooking for at least half an hour and sliced really thinly for you to enjoy the tenderness. The timings below are just a guide, as they can differ depending on the type of oven you have or the size of the cut.

serves 4-6

3¼ pounds beef top round
2 medium onions
2 carrots
2 celery stalks
I bulb of garlic
a small bunch of fresh thyme, rosemary, bay, or sage, or a mixture
olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

To prepare your beef
Take your beef out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before it goes into the oven. Preheat your oven to 475°F. There's no need to peel the vegetables - just give them a wash and roughly chop them. Break the garlic bulb into cloves, leaving them unpeeled. Pile all the vegetables, garlic, and herbs into the middle of a large roasting pan and drizzle with olive oil. Drizzle the beef with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper, rubbing it all over the meat. Place the beef on top of the vegetables

To cook your beef
Place the roasting pan in the preheated oven. Turn the heat down immediately to 400°F and cook for I hour for medium beef. If you prefer it medium-rare, take it out 5 to 10 minutes earlier. For well done, leave it in for another 10 to 15 minutes. If you're doing roasted potatoes and veggies, this is the time to crack on with them - get them into the oven for the last 45 minutes of cooking. Baste the beef halfway through cooking and if the vegetables look dry, add a splash of water to the pan to stop them burning. When the beef is cooked to your liking, take the pan out of the oven and transfer the beef to a board to rest for 15 minutes or so. Cover it with a layer of aluminum foil and a kitchen towel and put aside while you make your gravy, horseradish sauce, and Yorkshire puddings.

To carve your beef
Remove the string from the meat. Use a good, long, sharp knife to carve the meat and a fork (preferably a carving fork) to hold it steady. Serve with your piping hot gravy, your horseradish sauce, roasted veggies, and Yorkshire puddings