David Attwater is the head chef at the Nineteen restaurant in The Address Montgomerie Dubai hotel. Sammy Dallal / The National

1. A day in advance, cut up the peeled potatoes and boil for 12-15 minutes. Season and refrigerate overnight to allow the starch to set, enhancing the crispy qualities of the final result.

2. Spread the chopped onions, carrots and celery over the bottom of a baking pan and place the sirloin on top before transferring to an oven preheated to 130˚C.

4. Cook the potatoes in a frying pan, using the fat from the roasting, along with the thyme and garlic. Turn frequently until they are golden and crispy all over.

4. Just before serving the beef should be sliced thinly and arranged on plates with the Yorkshire puddings, potatoes, carrots, broccoli and gravy.

5. The objective: a mouth-watering plate of roast beef with all the trimmings. If you prefer your meat well done, cook it for 30-35 minutes instead of 20.

David Attwater's recipe for the perfect roast dinner

Roast dinner (Serves 4)

Ingredients

For the beef

1kg beef sirloin

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 sticks celery, chopped

1 onion, peeled and chopped

600ml beef stock

3 tblspns beef fat or vegetable oil

2 bay leaves

For the potatoes

1kg waxy potatoes (eg Desiree)

100g beef or duck fat

Few sprigs thyme

2 garlic cloves

Salt and black pepper

To serve

Yorkshire puddings

carrots

broccoli

Method

Twenty-four hours before you want to serve the roast, peel and cut the potatoes into large, evenly sized pieces. Bring a large pan of salted water to a rapid boil, add the potatoes and cook for 12-15 minutes until they are starting to break up around the edges.
Drain, season with salt and black pepper and place on a tray in a single layer. Store in the fridge overnight, which gives the starch a chance to set, resulting in a crispier potato.
Next day, preheat the oven to 130˚C. Season the sirloin all over with salt and black pepper. Spread the chopped vegetables over the base of a baking tray. Place the sirloin on top, transfer to the oven and cook for 20 minutes for medium/medium rare. If you have a meat thermometer then the core temperature should read 50˚C. Cooking the beef at a low temperature helps to keep it tender. If you prefer your beef well done, then continue to cook for a further 10-15 minutes.
Heat 3 tablespoons of beef fat or vegetable oil in a frying pan. When the oil is smoking hot, add the sirloin and sear for 3-4 minutes, until browned on all sides. Remove from the pan and leave to rest in a warm place for 10-15 minutes while you finish the potatoes and gravy.
Pour the beef or duck fat into a large frying pan. When hot, add the potatoes, thyme and garlic. Cook for 10-15 minutes, turning the potatoes frequently, until they are golden and crispy on all sides.
Place a separate frying pan over a medium heat, add the cooked vegetables, bay leaves and any meat juices. Stir well and add the beef stock. Bring to the boil, then cook for 3-4 minutes until slightly reduced. Strain through a sieve, pressing down on the vegetables to extract as much flavour as possible.
Slice the beef thinly and arrange on serving plates with the potatoes, vegetables, and Yorkshire puddings. Pour the gravy over and serve.

______________

More

• Features, restaurant reviews and all things food related
• Step-by-step guides and other recipes
_______________