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James Street Cookery School: Sunday roasts – beef with Yorkshire pud, loin of pork

Niall McKenna's roast beef with Yorkshire puddings
Niall McKenna's roast beef with Yorkshire puddings Niall McKenna's roast beef with Yorkshire puddings

THIS week’s recipes are perfect for a good old-fashioned family Sunday lunch. This doesn't have to be a lavish affair; it can be as simple as a roast loin of pork with all the trimmings or roast beef with Yorkshire puddings.

In my eyes, the only thing to beat a Sunday dinner is dessert so I'll follow next week with a few of my favourite sweets to end a meal on.

ROAST BEEF WITH YORKSHIRE PUDDINGS

(Serves 4)

1.2kg of beef rump

sea salt

ground pepper

Yorkshire puddings:

2 tbsp oil or fat

100g plain l flour

2 eggs, beaten

1 egg yolk

150ml milk

Method:

Remove meat from the fridge an hour before cooking so it's at room temperature. Preheat your oven to 190C. Seal your meat first – but put your extraction on and open the doors as this will get smoky! Place your frying pan on the hob at the highest heat. Season your beef with the sea salt and pepper and sear on all sides until browned.

Next, place meat in a roasting tin and into oven for up to four hours. I always like to serve my beef pink, but you can cook to your own liking.

Once cooked, remove from the oven, cover with tinfoil and a clean tea towel and allow to rest for 20 minutes. (This is when I cook the Yorkshires, as the oven hot enough for them.) Once rested, serve and carve at the table.

The best thing about the Yorkshire puddings recipe is that it is better if made up the night before and refrigerated; just mix the flour and eggs and slowly beat in the milk until all combined, then season with salt and pepper. Clingfilm and place in fridge.

When ready to use, place the oil on to a muffin-baking tin and place in the oven at 220C until hot. Remove the mix from the fridge and beat again until fluffy. Once the oil in the baking tin is hot, remove from the oven, pour in batter and cook for 25 minutes until golden. Serve immediately.

LOIN OF PORK

(Serves 4)

1, deboned loin 1.5kg

½ lemon

1 bunch thyme

1 spring cabbage

1 white onion

100g butter

rapeseed oil

2 cloves garlic

3 bay leaves

500ml chicken stock

Method:

Heat the oven to 180C and place the pork on a roasting tray. Season with salt and pepper, squeeze the juice of the lemon over the skin and place in oven for 75 minutes. Remove and sprinkle with leaves from half the bunch of thyme while hot, cover and leave to rest for 30 minutes.

Dice the onions and place in a hot pan with half the butter and cook (don't brown). Add the rest of the thyme (tied in a bunch) and cook until soft. Cut the cabbage into eighths and wash, having removed the outer leaves.

Place cabbage in another pan, with a splash of rapeseed oil and cook on gentle heat until coloured. Turn over the cabbage in the pot; add the onions, stock, garlic and bay leaves and simmer until the cabbage is cooked. Finally, add in the remaining butter and stir.

When ready to serve, slice two of the pork chops per person and serve with the cooked cabbage, some onions and a generous pour of stock.