Serves 12

Ingredients

• 2 kilogram piece Scotch fillet of beef
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4-6 large stems rosemary
• 1-2 bunches fresh sage

Method

Preheat the oven to 200ºC. Line a baking tray with foil or baking paper.

Remove the beef from the refrigerator 1 hour before roasting. Keep well-covered. All meats especially larger pieces for roasting will cook better if cooked from room temperature and not directly from the refrigerator.

Place the beef on the prepared tray.

Season the beef with pepper and if wished a little salt. Place the herbs on top and secure with string or twine – but not a plastic twine as it will melt!

Roast in the preheated oven for 1¼ hours. This should give you medium-rare to medium. Best results will be gained by testing with a meat thermometer.

Stand the roast for 15 minutes before carving into thin slices. Reserve any meat juices for the horseradish cream.

Allyson’s Tips

• If your fillet is more or less than 2 kilograms, allow 20 minutes per 500 grams for medium-rare meat.
• When calculating how much beef to buy, allow 150 grams (uncooked weight) per person.
• Do not roast any higher than 200ºC as the meat will shrink too much.
• The beef can be roasted at 180ºC, but allow an extra 30 minutes’ cooking time.
• Internal temperatures for meat when cooked are: 60ºC medium-rare, 65ºC medium, 75ºC well-done. Meat thermometers can be founding most supermarkets today.

• Preparation time 1¼ hours (includes resting time)
• Cooking time 1¼ hours

For The Kids

Depending on timing and the number of kids. In my home, we slice of a couple of thin minute-style steaks and barbecue these up for the kids when they are ready to eat. This is especially useful if medium-rare beef is not liked by younger members. Oh and don’t forget the tomato sauce !

Homemade Horseradish Cream

Ingredients

• 300ml bottle cream, well chilled
• ¼ cup grated fresh horseradish
• 1½-2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tbsp sugar
• juices from the roast beef

Method

Whip the cream softly. Stir in the horseradish, lemon juice and sugar. Cover and refrigerate until required. The cream can be made a few hours in advance. Before serving, stir in any reserved beef juices. These add flavour and colour to the cream.

Allyson's Tips

• For a thick-textured whipped cream, use a food processor for whipping, but keep a watchful eye, as the cream will turn to butter in an instant.
• Additional flavour can be added with chopped fresh herbs such as chives, parsley or sage.
• Always wear gloves when peeling and grating fresh horseradish, to avoid the juices burning your skin or eyes.
• Should you not have fresh horseradish, use bought horseradish cream. The heat-giving properties will vary from brand to brand, but start with a good tablespoon or two and taste before adding any more.

This recipe is from Allyson’s new recipe book:
Cook, by Allyson Gofton.