Roast Sirloin of Beef

So, with two carrier bags of meat to get through, it was obvious that today was going to be all about the roast beef. On the butchers block yesterday, the beef sirloin certainly looked impressive but it was only when I unwrapped it in the privacy of my own kitchen that I realised just how enormous it was. Stephen and I both have a decent appetite, especially when it comes to roast lunches but it was quickly apparent that there was no way we were going to be able to eat the whole joint without wasting any. The answer however was obvious: slice off two steaks and put them aside for future enjoyment.

Not wanting to risk over-cooking such a beautiful piece of meat, we brought Hugh to the breakfast table and read up on his tips for perfect roast beef. He recommended roasting on a high temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before lowering to 180 degrees and cooking the meat for 9-10 minutes per 500g for very rare and 12-15 minutes for medium. We opted for 11 minutes to be somewhere in between.

Happily, this worked out perfectly and after an hour of cooking and 30 minutes of resting, we were sitting down to the best beef we’ve ever cooked. Not only was it tender and melt-in-the-mouth, it had a strong, deep flavour that required very little in the way of seasoning or accompaniment.

To be honest, we probably could have taken off four steaks and still had plenty for lunch and leftovers but this way, we have enough for plenty of sandwiches which is not a bad way to start the week.