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Roast beef salad by Skye Gyngell.


 I made this Skye Gyngell recipe the other day for our great friends Peter and Suzy who are visiting for our son’s wedding. It’s from her book A year in my kitchen. I had forgotten how stress free it is to put together because many of the elements can be prepped ahead of the game.

This is the perfect salad for a hot day/evening where you want to serve something interesting without breaking a sweat.


Serves 4

Ingredients

800g piece fillet of beef
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
600g little new potatoes
300g fine green beans, topped but not tailed
grated zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
handful of mixed salad leaves
1 tbsp freshly grated parmesan


Slow roasted tomatoes
6 good quality small plum tomatoes like pomp de mori 
10g/2 tsp caster sugar
10g/2 tsp sea salt
10g/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper


Roasted red onions
5 medium red onions, peeled
100g caster sugar
seal salt and freshly ground black pepper
200g balsamic vinegar
50ml extra virgin olive oil


Basil oil
2-3 bunches of basil
1 garlic clove, peeled
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
200ml extra virgin olive oil


Horseradish cream
200ml creme fraiche
3 tbsp freshly grated horseradish (or if you can’t get fresh use a good hot creamed horseradish)
1 tbs Dijon mustard


Method


Make ahead of time

The first four elements of the dish can be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge


Slow roast tomatoes
Turn your oven to the lowest possible setting – probably for me thats 60C but it will work perfectly well at 100c just keep an eye on things. 

Halve the tomatoes lengthways and lay them, cut side up, in a single layer on a large baking tray. In a small bowl, mix together the sugar, salt and pepper, then sprinkle all over the cut surface of the tomatoes. Roast, undisturbed, for 3-4 hours until they shrivel up. Remove and set aside.


red onions 
Preheat the oven to 180C. Slice the onions into pinwheels about 3mm thick, and spread out on a baking tray. Sprinkle with the sugar and a generous pinch each of salt and pepper. Pour over the balsamic vinegar and olive oil and mix together lightly with your hands. Roast for 30 minutes or so, turning them and basting halfway through cooking. The onions will be deep purple when ready.


basil oil 
Pull the basil leaves from their stalks and put them into a food processor with the garlic and a good pinch each of salt and pepper. Process until the basil is finely chopped. With the motor running, slowly trickle in the extra virgin olive oil and continue to blend until you have a beautiful moss green puree. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. Pour into a jar, cover and refrigerate until ready to use. This basil oil will keep in a fridge for up to a week.


horseradish cream
Put the creme fraiche in a bowl and add the grated horseradish (or horseradish cream) and  mustard, adjust to taste. Stir to combine and season with salt.


Putting the salad together
Preheat the oven to 200C. Trim the meat of any sinew and fat, then season generously all over with salt and pepper. Heat a heavy-based ovenproof frying pan over a high heat, then add 1 tbsp olive oil. When smoking, add the beef and sear to colour on all sides. Transfer the pan to the oven and roast for 12 minutes. Cover loosely with foil and seat aside to rest for 20 minutes.

In the meantime, cook the potatoes in salted water until tender, about 10-15 minutes. Bring another pan of  salted water to the boil and add the green beans and blanch for two minutes. Drain and reresh in cold water, then pat dry with a clean cloth. Drain the potatoes as soon as they are cooked and cut in half lengthways.

Pu the warm potatoes in a bowl, season with a little salt and pepper and dress with the lemon zest, lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil. Allow to cool, then add the salad leaves and green beans. Toss lightly and sprinkle with the Parmesan.

Slice the beef into 5mm thick slices. Layer the beef slices and salad on serving plates, piling it high and adding 2 or 3 roasted tomato halves, some roasted red onions and a spoonful of horseradish cream to each plate. Finally, drizzle the basil oil over the top and serve!

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