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Roast Rib of Beef with Orange & Apricot Stuffing

This is an excellent and equally impressive alternative to roast turkey. It’s all-in-one, too: the stuffing cooks inside the joint!

30 minutes, plus resting prep, 1½–2¾ hours cook

Serves 8

Ingredients

2.5–3kg rib of beef, on the bone

1 tbsp English mustard powder

1 onion, roughly chopped

Small bunch fresh thyme

For the stuffing:

75g dried apricots, ﬁnely chopped

100g fresh white breadcrumbs

Small bunch fresh thyme, leaves picked

Red onion, ﬁnely chopped

2 eggs, beaten

Finely grated zest 1 orange

For the glaze:

100g orange marmalade

Juice of ½ orange

For the gravy:

2 tbsps plain ﬂour

1 tbsp English mustard powder

600ml beef stock

Method

Preheat the oven to 220°C/ Fan 200°C/ Gas 7. Weigh the beef and make a note of the weight. In a medium bowl, mix the stuffing ingredients with some salt and pepper. Place the beef on a board with the ribs on the right-hand side.

Starting from the bone side, cut between the fat layer and the eye of the meat, slicing around the eye of meat to make a ﬂap for the stuffing (making sure to keep the ﬂap attached at the base end).

Press the stuffing evenly over the eye of meat, lay the fat layer back over the stuffing and secure in place with kitchen string.

Rub the joint with the mustard powder and season generously. Scatter the chopped onion and the thyme in the bottom of a roasting tin that will just hold the beef. Sit the beef on top and roast for 20 minutes.

Reduce the temperature to 160°C/Fan 140°C/Gas 2½ and roast for 15 minutes per 450g for rare, 20 minutes per 450g for medium or 25 minutes per 450g for well done, based on your weight calculations.

Test with a meat thermometer to see if the beef is cooked (60°C for rare, 65°C for medium, 70°C for well done).

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix the glaze ingredients. When the beef has 20 minutes’ cooking time left, brush the glaze over the joint and continue to roast.

When cooked to your liking, remove the beef from the tin (reserving the tin), transfer to a board and leave to rest, covered in foil, for at least 20 minutes.

To make the gravy, spoon out all but 2 tablespoons of the juices from the roasting tin (leaving the onions and thyme).

Put the tin over a medium heat on the hob, stir in the ﬂour and mustard powder and cook for 2 minutes. Gradually stir in the stock, and allow to bubble until thickened. Check the seasoning then strain into a warmed jug and serve with the beef.