When it came to making Sunday dinner, my mom pulled out all the stops. I loved watching her in the kitchen, making food she grew up eating. This is my Roast Beef Dinner, English-style.

The Bottom Round makes a great roast beef because it is tender and has so much beefy flavor. Simple seasoning, slow oven-roasted, and served with brown gravy that’s made from the pan juices, ladled over the top, is how I grew up eating this traditional Sunday supper.

Today I’m going to cook this bottom-round roast in the oven at 170°F. Cook for approximately 3 to 6 hours.

Mom always used lard to make her Roasted Potatoes and Yorkshire Pudding. Oh, there were always English Peas on the plate.

Mom always bought this cut of beef because it was inexpensive. I only have one oven, so I’m going to make this dinner in what might seem like an unusual order. You’ll see as I explain in the directions.

Today I’m using Tallow (beef fat) (substitute lard/vegetable shortening) to roast my potatoes. These will be amazing!

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Inactive Prep Time:1 hour
Cook Time For Roast: approx. 2 hours 45 minutes or until internal temp. reaches 130 degrees F. (times may vary depending on your oven)
Cook Time For Potatoes: 40 to 45 minutes
Cook Time For Yorkshire Pudding: 20 to 25 minutes
Total Time: 5 hours 10 minutes
Yields: 4 to 6 servings
Equipment: 1 (12-inch) sauté pan, 1 (3-quart) saucepot, chef’s knife, 1 (8 x 11) baking dish, 2 rimmed baking sheet pans, colander, slotted spoon, whisk, aluminum foil, large serving platter

Ingredients For Bottom Round Roast:
1 (3 1/4 pound) bottom round beef roast
1/2 cup of olive oil
4 1/2 tablespoons of Kosher salt
3 1/2 teaspoons of freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons of garlic powder
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons of fresh rosemary, finely minced
1/2 cup of beef stock, unsalted
1 1/2 sweet onions, quartered

Ingredients For Roasted Potatoes:
1 (3-pound) bag of baby Yukon gold potatoes, quartered
3/4 cup of Tallow (beef fat), melted, substitute lard or vegetable shortening
3 tablespoons of Kosher salt
2 teaspoons of freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup of fresh rosemary, finely chopped
2 tablespoons of Italian flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Ingredients For The Gravy:
3 tablespoons of butter, unsalted
3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
1 quart of beef broth/stock, unsalted and warmed up
The remaining juices from the baking dish
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

2 (6-ounce) packages of English peas. Season with Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.

Instructions For The Roast:
* Coat (rub with your hands) the beef well with olive oil, Kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper, and fresh rosemary. Let the roast sit on the counter for 1 hour before slow roasting.

Adjust oven temperature to 170°F.
In a small mixing bowl, add the garlic powder, Kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper, and minced fresh garlic. Using paper towels, pat the roast dry well. Rub olive oil over all sides of the meat. Next, sprinkle the seasoning over all sides of the meat. Spread the quartered onions on the bottom of the 8 x 11 baking dish. Transfer the roast, fat side up, to the baking dish.

Place the baking dish on the middle rack, and cook for 2 hours and 45 minutes for this size roast, or until the internal temperature reaches 130°F. Cover with foil to rest until you’re ready to reverse sear. Add 10 minutes for resting time and the reverse sear time.

Around 30 minutes before the roast comes out of the oven, start the process of par-boiling the potatoes.

Add the potatoes to a large pot, and cover with water. Bring to a boil, add 1 tablespoon of Kosher salt, and cook for 10 minutes. You’re only parboiling them. Drain the potatoes into a colander and give them a quick, good shake. This roughs up the edges slightly and makes for a crispier texture when they’re roasted. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, add the well-drained potatoes, Kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper, and melted Tallow. Mix to combine.

Roasting the Potatoes:
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Using 2 rimmed baking sheet pans, transfer the seasoned potatoes from the bowl, dividing them evenly, onto the sheet pans. Make sure they are all in one even layer. Next, sprinkle the rosemary evenly over all the potatoes. Cook for 40 to 45 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden brown on all sides. Once the roast has finished cooking, add the onions from the baking dish to the potatoes for extra flavor.

In the meantime, make the batter for the Yorkshire Pudding. Set the batter aside to rest for at least 30 minutes or until the bubbles have disappeared.

Adjust oven temperature to 450°F.
This is the point when you bake the Yorkshire Pudding.

Reverse searing has several key benefits:
Reduces overcooking
Produces consistent results
Less moisture is lost from start to finish
Searing and browning are evenly distributed
Rest, reverse sear, and serve

Adjust oven temperature to 500°F.
About 20 minutes before you’re ready to eat, preheat to 500°F. When the oven reaches temp. Remove the foil and transfer the roast to the oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the roast is crisp and brown. Remove from the oven, slice, and serve. You do not need to let the roast rest when reverse-searing.

When ready to serve, slice the beef thinly against the grain.

Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked onions to the roasted potatoes, and mix to combine. Reserve the remaining juices from the onions and the roast for the brown gravy.

Instructions for the Brown Gravy:
In a 3-quart saucepot, melt the butter. Add in the flour and whisk together, cooking the raw flour out until the mixture becomes a blond-colored paste. Pour in all the remaining juices from the baking dish, and whisk to combine. Slowly add in the beef broth/stock, continuously whisking until the gravy comes to a boil and thickens. Remove from the heat and set aside until needed—season with Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste.

Microwave peas.

For the Yorkshire Pudding:
Once everything is out of the oven, adjust the oven temperature to 450°F. Follow the directions on the link I’ve provided below.

There you have it, my Roast Beef Dinner, English-Style.

Notes:
1) If you’re making Yorkshire pudding (unless you have a double oven), this will increase the cooking times listed above. Make the Yorkshire pudding the last thing you cook.

2) *Take the meat out of the refrigerator to reach room temperature for 1 hour. Oil and season again, and allow the roast to sit out on the counter for an additional 1 hour.

3) **The exact cooking time will depend on the roast shape and size, as well as your oven. The standard cooking time is 2 hours per pound. At high altitudes (5000 ft. or higher), plan for 2.5 hours per pound. This cut of meat usually becomes tough with longer cooking. Do not cut into the meat during cooking or resting, as juices will escape, causing the meat to dry out.

4) *** The Bottom Round is best cooked medium rare, since it’s a leaner cut.
This means the center should have an internal temperature of 130°F. With that number rising another 10°F. During resting and reverse searing time. 

5) If you return the potatoes to the hot pot for a couple of minutes, occasionally shaking the pot, this will help any of the water that may remain on the potatoes to evaporate quickly.

6) The Yorkshire Pudding is not included in the Roast Beef Dinner, English-Style Nutritional Label.

7) ****Internal cooking temperatures:
Rare, 120-125 degrees, bright red center
Medium rare, 130-135 degrees, very pink center
Medium, 140-145 degrees, light pink center
Medium well, 150-155 degrees, no pink
Well done, 160 + degrees, brown throughout
8) Linda Lou Hamel is not a nutritionist or dietitian, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and nutritional value are important to you, I recommend running the ingredients through the online nutritional calculator of your choice. Calories and values can vary depending on the brands you choose.

https://lindalouhamel.com/2019/07/10/summer-time-flowers-and-herbs/

https://lindalouhamel.com/2014/12/28/yorkshire-pudding/