Kitchen Greatest Hits: Roast Rib of Beef with Yorkshire Pudding and Red Wine Gravy
Nigel Barden shares his favourite recipes
Last updated 16th Dec 2021
Chef Nigel Barden joins Simon Mayo's Drivetime Show to create delicious recipes for Kitchen Greatest Hits.
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Roast Rib of Beef with Yorkshire Pudding and Red Wine Gravy
This week Nigel was certainly feeling festive when he cooked up the show-stopping Roast Rib of Beef with Yorkshire Pudding and Red Wine Gravy served with Brussel Sprouts in Nut Brown Butter.
This delicious dish is perfect for Christmas time and comes from Lidgate’s 'The Meat Cookbook', written by butcher, Danny Lidgate and food writer Hattie Ellis (Mitchell Beazley).
Nigel chose this recipe because: "It’s a recipe I’ve used many times, so know it’s ultra-reliable, which is exactly what you want for Christmas Day." Nigel served the beef with roast potatoes and a side dish of Brussel sprouts, pan fried in nut brown butter, with grated orange zest, chopped roasted hazelnuts and chopped crispy bacon.
You can find the full recipe for Brussel Sprouts in Nut Brown Butter below the Roast Rib of Beef with Yorkshire Pudding recipe.
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
3-rib joint of beef, back bone removed & fingerbones trimmed (about 3-3.5kg/7-8lb trimmed weight)
2 onions, halved
2 carrots cut into large chunks
2 celery sticks, halved
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the Yorkshire batter
300g (10oz) plain flour
Pinch of fine sea salt
3 large eggs (or 4 medium) plus 1 large egg yolk (or 1 medium)
350ml (12fl oz) milk
350ml (12fl oz) water
3 tbsp dripping or olive oil
For the gravy
400ml (14fl oz) beef stock and/or vegetable cooking water
1 tbsp plain flour
About 150ml (¼ pint) red wine
Method
Preheat the oven to 220C/Gas 7.
Take the meat out of the fridge 1 hour before roasting so it doesn’t go into the oven stone-cold.
Meanwhile, make the batter.
Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl and make a well in the centre.
Crack in the eggs and extra yolk and pour in a little of the milk.
Start mixing the flour into the liquid and continue mixing as you add the remaining liquid bit by bit, stirring hard to get a smooth batter.
Cover with clingfilm and place in the fridge.
Put the onions, carrots and celery in a roasting tray.
Place the meat on top, fat-side up.
Season well all over with salt and pepper.
Roast for 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 160C/Gas 3 and continue cooking for one of the following times per 500g (1lb), depending on how you like your meat:
15 minutes for rare
20 minutes for medium
25 minutes for well done
About 15 minutes before the end of the cooking time, you can use a meat thermometer to help get the beef to your liking:
45-47C for rare
50-52C for medium rare
55-60C for medium
65-70C for well done
Make sure the probe goes into the thickest part of the meat, and take the joint out of the oven when it is 5C under your target, as its temperature will continue to rise for a while.
Put the joint on a carving board, cover with foil and a couple of clean tea towels and set aside to rest while you cook the Yorkshire pudding. Alternatively, if you have a double oven, warm it to 110C/Gas ¼ and pop the meat inside.
Turn the main oven back up to 220C/Gas 7. Put the dripping or oil in a baking tin and place it in the oven. Nigel says if making individual Yorkshire’s, equally distribute the dripping, or oil into the 12 holes of the baking tray. When the fat is smoking hot, pour in the batter and bake for 30 minutes, or slightly less time for the 12 individual puddings.
Meanwhile, make the gravy. Place the roasting tray, still containing the vegetables, over a medium-low heat. Pour in the stock and stir well, scraping up the tasty bits stuck in the bottom of the pan. Strain the liquid into a jug, discarding the vegetables. When the fat has risen to the top, spoon or pour it off into a bowl.
Return 1½ tablespoons of the fat to the roasting tray, place over a medium heat and sprinkle in the flour (you can add a teaspoon or so more if you like thickish gravy). Stir well for 1 minute. Add about 90ml (3½ fl oz) of the hot stock and/or vegetable water and stir well to combine. Now add the wine and let it bubble up.
Gradually add the rest of the liquid and let the gravy simmer until it has thickened slightly. Season to taste with salt & pepper. Keep the gravy warm until needed, pouring in the juices from the rested meat just before serving.
To carve the joint, hold it firmly with a carving fork and cut off slices, starting at the end of the lowest bone, as this will come away the most easily. Cut away the bones & string as you go, not all at once, because they hold the joint together and make carving easier.
Serve the meat on warm plates with the Yorkshire pudding & gravy, along with potatoes and vegetables of your choice, such as steamed leeks & carrots.
Brussels Sprouts in Nut Brown Butter
Serves 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
600g Brussels sprouts
25g butter
Salt
1 orange
25g chopped roasted hazelnuts
Method
Wash and trim your sprouts.
Add them to a large pan of boiling salted water and cook for 5 minutes, or until just tender.
Drain well and set the sprouts aside.
Using the same pan, add the butter and cook over a medium heat until it turns nut brown in colour (don’t take your eyes off it, as it’ll burn).
Immediately return your sprouts to the pan and stir to combine with the butter.
Grate the zest of half the orange directly over the sprouts and then scatter over the chopped roasted hazelnuts. If you can’t get roasted hazelnuts, roast them in a 150C oven for 15 minutes, checking they don’t burn. Then chop them up.
Alternatively, you can add one of the following: whole cranberries, chopped chestnuts, sliced spring onions, cubes of pancetta or chopped bacon. All of which you fry separately before adding to the sprouts.
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