Sunday roast — roast beef and Yorkshire pudding
The quintessential British ritual: a rare roast beef, puffed-up golden Yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes cooked in the drippings, and a ladle of gravy. The Sunday lunch feast that brings the whole household together.
The quintessential British ritual: a rare roast beef, puffed-up golden Yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes cooked in the drippings, and a ladle of gravy. The Sunday lunch feast that brings the whole household together.
Sunday was sacred — not church, the roast. My mother put the beef in the oven and the whole house smelled good until noon. The trick is the Yorkshire pudding: you want the fat in the tin to be smoking hot before you pour in the batter — otherwise it won't rise, it'll be a sad pancake. Done right, it puffs up like a golden balloon. You drench everything in gravy, and you shut up for five minutes because it's worth it.
- •Roast beef (rib or rump) — a nice piece (centrepiece)
- •Flour, eggs, milk — equal parts for batter (Yorkshire pudding)
- •Beef dripping — generous (roasting and puddings)
- •Potatoes — a full dish (roast garnish)
- •Meat juices (gravy) — a gravy boat (umami binder)
Sunday roast — roast beef and Yorkshire pudding
The quintessential British ritual: a rare roast beef, puffed-up golden Yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes cooked in the drippings, and a ladle of gravy. The Sunday lunch feast that brings the whole household together.
Why this dish? Evokes Parker's working-class childhood in north London: the Sunday roast was THE family meal of the week, the moment when everyone sat down together before the grey Monday.
Sunday was sacred — not church, the roast. My mother put the beef in the oven and the whole house smelled good until noon. The trick is the Yorkshire pudding: you want the fat in the tin to be smoking hot before you pour in the batter — otherwise it won't rise, it'll be a sad pancake. Done right, it puffs up like a golden balloon. You drench everything in gravy, and you shut up for five minutes because it's worth it.
Ingredients (period version)
- Roast beef (rib or rump) — a nice piece (centrepiece)
- Flour, eggs, milk — equal parts for batter (Yorkshire pudding)
- Beef dripping — generous (roasting and puddings)
- Potatoes — a full dish (roast garnish)
- Meat juices (gravy) — a gravy boat (umami binder)
Ingredients
- Roast beef — 1.2 kg (centrepiece)
- Flour — 140 g (Yorkshire batter)
- Eggs — 4 (Yorkshire batter)
- Milk — 200 ml (Yorkshire batter)
- Roasting potatoes — 1 kg (garnish)
- Beef dripping or oil — 4 tbsp (roasting)
- Beef stock + flour — for gravy (sauce)
Method
- Bring beef to room temperature, season, sear and roast in a hot oven (approx. 220 °C) then reduce heat, cook to desired doneness; rest under foil.
- Prepare Yorkshire batter (flour, eggs, milk, salt), rest 30 min.
- Preheat a muffin tin with a little fat until smoking, pour in batter and bake in a very hot oven without opening, until puffed and golden.
- Parboil potatoes, shake to 'rough up' edges, then roast in hot fat.
- Deglaze the beef roasting pan, add stock and a little flour for gravy.
- Serve sliced beef, puddings, potatoes and hot gravy.
How it was made : The Sunday roast dates back at least to the 18th century, linked to Sunday rest: meat was put in the oven before church and found roasted upon return. The Yorkshire pudding was originally cooked under the roasting spit to catch dripping fat, and was eaten before the meat to fill up guests cheaply.
The contemporary twist : A giant Yorkshire pudding as an edible plate, filled with sliced beef and drizzled with gravy: the Sunday 'wrap' revisited.
Alan Parker · Charactorium