Traditional Sunday Roast with Roast Potatoes, Yorkshire Puddings, Seasonal Vegetables, and Gravy

Heat the gas oven to 220C, which is 200C fan, or gas mark 7. While it comes up to temperature, take your beef joint and pat it dry with kitchen paper. Season it thoroughly all over with fine salt and a generous amount of coarsely ground black pepper. Do not be shy about this. Rub a little beef dripping or a tablespoon of plain vegetable oil all over the surface of the joint and place it on a rack in the roasting tin, fat side up. The fat side goes up because it will baste the joint as it renders down. Put the joint in the hot oven for the first 20 minutes at this higher temperature. This initial blast is what gives you the dark, well-seasoned crust that makes a roast look and taste like a proper one. While the joint is taking its initial high heat, your rested Yorkshire pudding batter should already be in the fridge. Leave it there. It wants to stay cold.

Once the initial 20 minutes are up, turn the oven down to 180C, which is 160C fan, or gas mark 4. This lower temperature is what will carry the joint through to the centre without drying the outside. For a joint of around 1.2 to 1.5kg, roast for a further 50 to 60 minutes for medium, which means a warm pink centre. If you prefer it well done, allow an extra 15 to 20 minutes. A meat thermometer is the honest answer here. You are looking for 60C at the centre for medium, 70C for well done. Official food safety guidance recommends a minimum of 63C for whole cuts of beef, with a resting period. Use the thermometer rather than guessing.

While the beef is roasting at its lower temperature, put the potatoes on. Bring the pan of salted water to the boil and parboil the potato chunks for 8 minutes, no longer. You want them almost but not quite cooked through. Drain them in a colander, let the steam escape for a minute, then put the lid back on the colander and shake the potatoes quite firmly to rough up the edges. Those rough edges are what turn into the crisp, cragged surface that holds the fat. Now heat 3 tablespoons of beef dripping or goose fat in a separate deep roasting tin in the oven for 5 minutes until the fat is shimmering and very hot. Carefully lower the potato chunks into the hot fat, turn them once to coat, and return them to the oven. They will want around 50 to 55 minutes total, turning once halfway through. They go in alongside the beef and come out when the beef comes out to rest.

When the beef comes out of the oven, lift it onto a warm plate or board and tent it loosely with foil. It wants to rest for at least 20 minutes. Do not skip this. The resting is not optional courtesy, it is the step that keeps the juices in the meat rather than running all over the board when you carve. The potatoes go back into the oven to finish if they need more time, or you can turn the oven up slightly to 200C to give them a final crisping while the beef rests.

Now you will make the Yorkshire pudding batter go into the oven. Take the Yorkshire pudding tin, a 12-hole tin works well, and put a small amount of oil or dripping, about half a teaspoon per hole, into each cup. Place the tin in the hot oven, 220C or gas mark 7, for 5 to 6 minutes until the fat is visibly smoking. Take the batter out of the fridge. Working quickly, pour the cold batter into each cup until each one is about half full. Shut the oven door and do not open it for 20 minutes. Do not open it. Not to check, not to peek. The Yorkshires will rise and set only if left undisturbed with consistent heat.

While the Yorkshires are in the oven, begin steaming or boiling your vegetables. If you are cooking green beans, they want 4 to 5 minutes in boiling salted water. Carrots want 6 to 8 minutes depending on thickness. Wash your hands and any surfaces that have been near the raw beef before touching the vegetable preparation.

The gravy is made from the roasting tin and nothing about it should be rushed. Tip away most of the fat from the roasting tin, leaving behind the dark, sticky meat juices and about 2 tablespoons of the fat. Set the tin over a medium flame on the gas hob. Add the plain flour and stir it into the fat and juices with a wooden spoon, scraping up every bit of the caramelised residue from the bottom of the tin. Let the flour cook for a full 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until it smells nutty and has turned a deeper shade.

Now add a splash, about 100ml, of red wine or additional beef stock and stir vigorously while everything lifts from the tin. Add the beef stock gradually, about a third at a time, stirring well between each addition. Let the gravy come up to a gentle simmer and cook for 5 to 6 minutes until it has reduced slightly and coats the back of the spoon. Taste it. Season with salt and black pepper. If it seems thin, let it simmer a little longer. If it seems thick, add a splash more stock. Strain it through a sieve into a warm jug. The finished gravy should be glossy, deep brown, and smell of everything that happened in that roasting tin over the past two hours.

Now everything comes together, and it comes together quickly, so be ready. Carve the beef in thin, even slices across the grain, which shortens the muscle fibres and makes every slice more tender. Spoon hot gravy generously over the plated beef slices.

Toss the drained vegetables in a small knob of butter and a light seasoning of salt. The Yorkshires come straight out of the oven and go straight to the table. They will not wait and nor should they. Arrange everything on warm plates. A sprinkle of fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped, goes over the vegetables. Serve the gravy in the warm jug so everyone can help themselves.