Roast beef with rich port gravy

Upgrade your roast by making the most indulgent gravy with Adam Liaw's port recipe; with butter, beef stock, port and Vegemite.

• serves

  4

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  2 hours

• difficulty

  Mid

Stream free On Demand

Roast

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

25m

PG

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

25m

PG

Ingredients

• 2 kg beef rump or topside roast
• salt and pepper, to season
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 4 garlic cloves, unpeeled but bruised
• 2 brown onions, peeled and cut into eighths
• 2 carrots, halved and cut into 5-cm pieces
• 1 celery stalk, cut into 5-cm pieces
• 10 sprigs thyme, leaves stripped
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 handful parsley stalks, torn
• 20 g butter
• hot cooked peas, to serve

Rich port gravy

• 40 g butter, plus 15 g extra, cold and cubed
• 50 g (⅓ cup) plain flour
• 500 ml (2 cups) beef stock
• 80 ml (⅓ cup) port
• 1 tsp dark soy sauce or ½ tsp Vegemite
• 1 tsp red wine vinegar (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Place a heavy–based frying pan over high heat. Season the beef with salt and pepper. Add the oil to the pan, then brown the beef well on all sides.
2. Meanwhile, place the garlic, onion, carrot, celery and herbs on the base of a large roasting dish and add 250 ml (1 cup) water. Place the beef on top, then add the butter to the hot frying pan and stir until melted and sizzling. Pour over the beef, then roast for 1½ hours (or 20 minutes per 500 g) for medium–rare, basting with the melted butter at the beginning and halfway through cooking. Remove the beef to a warm plate to rest. (I often rest a roast in the microwave, turned off. It saves on having to tent the roast with foil.) Strain the vegetables through a sieve into a jug and reserve the liquid.
3. For the rich port gravy, place the frying pan you used to brown the beef over medium heat. Add 25 g butter and when melted, stir in the flour and cook until the roux becomes golden. Gradually stir in the stock a little at a time, as well as any resting juices from the beef. Stir in the port, simmer and taste and adjust for seasoning. Add a little extra stock or water if the gravy looks too thick (remembering that it will thicken more as it cools off the stove).
4. Pass the gravy through a fine sieve into a small saucepan and place over low heat. Whisk through the cold butter until the gravy is glossy. Whisk in the vinegar just before serving. Slice the beef and serve with the gravy and hot peas.

 

Photography by Adam Liaw.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

Stream free On Demand

Roast

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

25m

PG

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

25m

PG