Richard Turner’s traditional rib roast

Serves 6
fore rib of beef 1, at least 2kg in weight
beef dripping

Remove the meat from the fridge a couple of hours before cooking. Season the surface evenly, then sear the joint all over in a hot pan with a generous tablespoon of beef dripping. Place the ribs, fat side upwards, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Roast at 180C/gas mark 4 allowing 40 minutes per kilo for medium-rare or 45 for medium. Remove the roast when a meat thermometer registers 57C for medium-rare or 60C for medium and allow to rest in a warm place for at least 20 minutes (by which time the internal temperature will have risen by a couple of degrees).

For the horseradish sauce
Mix 100g of peeled and grated fresh horseradish into 250ml sour cream and season with Maldon salt and freshly ground black pepper.

For the Yorkshire puddings
Makes 6
eggs 200ml, beaten
semi-skimmed milk 200ml
plain flour 200g
beef dripping

Start the Yorkshire batter the night before. (It gives the starch cells time to thicken which will give you a lighter, smoother batter.)

Pour the beaten eggs, milk and salt into a medium-sized bowl, then add plain flour by the spoonful, whisking constantly so you create a smooth batter (or whizz together in a food processor). Once all the ingredients are mixed, cover the bowl with clingfilm and refrigerate overnight.

Once your beef has roasted and is resting on the side, turn up the oven to 220C/gas mark 7. Put a dollop of beef dripping at the bottom of each hollow in a Yorkshire pudding or muffin tin and place over a high heat on the hob. Fill the holes just over halfway up with batter. The secret to great Yorkshire puds is cold batter crashing into intensely hot beef dripping. It should look alarmingly volcanic with lots of crackling and voluminous batter turning into pillowy puddings.

Place the trays of puddings in the oven for 15-20 minutes until golden, turning them over towards the end so the bottoms crisp up.

Serve the rib roast with the Yorkshire puddings and horseradish sauce along with roast potatoes and plenty of gravy.

From Hawksmoor at Home by Huw Gott, Will Beckett, Richard Turner (Preface, £25).
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