Roast Beef
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Prepare
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
Mix the salt and pepper, then rub the mixture into the beef.
Roast
Place the beef in a roasting pan with the water and roast for 2 hours, basting often.
After roasting, pour off the fat from the pan and check that the gravy is well-seasoned.
Serve
Serve a few spoonfuls of gravy over the beef and the rest in a gravy boat, thickened with browned flour if desired.
Garnish with small mounds of scraped horseradish around the beef.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Tenderloin roast
- Is the main meat, providing the substance of the dish and its tender texture when cooked gently.
- Water
- Adds moisture to the roasting pan, helping keep the beef juicy and loosening drippings for the gravy.
- Salt
- Seasons the beef throughout and helps the meat retain moisture as it roasts.
- Browned flour (in the method)
- Thickens the gravy and adds a toasted, savory flavor when used.
The step that matters
Roasting for 2 hours with frequent basting. Basting keeps the surface moist and helps the beef brown evenly while the interior cooks slowly. Too little basting can dry the outer layer before the center reaches the desired doneness.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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