Classic British & Irish Sunday Roast with Roast Beef
Sunday Roast
An authentic Sunday roast with roast beef, roasted veg, Yorkshire puddings and rich gravy.
This is the Sunday roast I grew up eating—simple, generous, and built around good roast beef, crunchy roast potatoes, honeyed carrots and parsnips, green sprouts or cabbage, and the must-have Yorkshire puddings. It’s the sort of meal that fills the kitchen with smell and brings everyone to the table; once you master the timing, it becomes a joyous ritual rather than a scramble.
I give straightforward timings and tricks for crisp potatoes and a glossy gravy so you can relax while the oven does the heavy lifting. Serve it with a jug of hot gravy and let people carve at the table—this is comfort food meant for sharing.
Nutrition (per serving)
Directions
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1
Take the beef out of the fridge 1 hour before cooking to come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 475°F.
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2
Pat the joint dry, rub with olive oil, then season generously with sea salt and black pepper. Tuck garlic cloves and rosemary under any fat cap if you like.
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3
Place the beef on a rack in a roasting pan and roast at 475°F for 20 minutes to develop a crust, then reduce the oven to 350°F and roast about 15 minutes per pound for medium-rare (adjust to your preferred doneness). Use an instant-read thermometer: 125°F for rare, 130–135°F for medium-rare, 140°F for medium.
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4
While the beef starts, parboil the potatoes in salted water for 8–10 minutes until edges soften. Drain and shake the pot to roughen the edges.
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5
Heat vegetable oil and 2 tbsp butter in a roasting tray in the oven until smoking hot. Toss the parboiled potatoes in the hot fat, season, and roast on a separate tray at 400°F for 45–55 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden and crisp.
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6
Toss carrots and parsnips with 1 tbsp olive oil, honey, salt and pepper. Add to the oven for the last 35–40 minutes of cooking on a tray so they caramelize but don’t burn.
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7
For Brussels sprouts, blanch briefly in boiling salted water for 3–4 minutes, drain, then pan-fry or roast at the end for 10 minutes with a knob of butter to keep them bright and tender.
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8
When the beef reaches your target temperature, transfer to a board, tent loosely with foil and rest for 20–25 minutes—the carryover heat finishes the cook and keeps the juices in.
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9
While the beef rests, make the gravy: pour off most of the fat from the roasting pan, place the pan on the hob over medium heat, sprinkle in the 2 tbsp plain flour and stir to make a roux. Deglaze with red wine (if using) and scrape up the browned bits, then whisk in beef stock and Worcestershire sauce. Simmer until thickened, taste and season.
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10
Make Yorkshire puddings: whisk the 1 cup flour, 1 cup milk, 4 eggs and a pinch of salt into a smooth batter and let rest 20 minutes. Heat a 12-hole muffin tin with a little oil or beef dripping until smoking hot, pour batter into tins and bake at 425°F for 20–25 minutes until puffed and golden.
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11
Carve the beef thinly, serve with roast potatoes, carrots, parsnips, Brussels sprouts and Yorkshire puddings, and pour hot gravy over or serve in a jug at the table.
Ingredients
- Beef rib roast (sirloin or rib):4.5 lb
- Sea salt:2 tsp
- Freshly ground black pepper:1 tsp
- Olive oil:2 tbsp
- Unsalted butter:4 tbsp
- Garlic cloves, crushed:4 pieces
- Fresh rosemary sprigs:2 pieces
- Maris Piper or Yukon Gold potatoes:2 lb
- Vegetable oil (for roasting potatoes):4 tbsp
- Carrots, peeled and halved:1 lb
- Parsnips, peeled and halved:1 lb
- Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved:1 lb
- Plain flour (for gravy):2 tbsp
- Beef stock:2 cups
- Red wine (optional):1/2 cup
- Worcestershire sauce:1 tbsp
- Honey:1 tbsp
- Plain flour (for Yorkshire puddings):1 cup
- Milk (for Yorkshire puddings):1 cup
- Eggs (for Yorkshire puddings):4 pieces
Tips & Notes
- Resting the roast is essential—don’t skip it. It keeps the meat juicy and makes carving easier.
- Roughing up parboiled potatoes before roasting gives them a crunchy, craggy exterior that soaks up fat.
- Use a thermometer rather than clock time for perfect doneness; oven times vary.
- Make Yorkshire batter ahead and rest it in the fridge for an even better rise when baked.
