Tom Kerridge's Best Roast Beef with Mushroom and Madeira Gravy

1. Take the beef out of the fridge an hour before you intend to cook it, to allow it to come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 220C fan. 
2. Season the beef generously with salt and pepper. Place a large roasting tray on the hob over a high heat and add the beef dripping. 
3. When it is hot, add the beef and sear on all sides, turning once each side is deep golden brown. This will take around 6 -8 minutes. 
4. Once browned all over, remove the beef from the roasting tray and set aside. Put the shallots, carrots, celery and garlic into the tray, mix well and spread out in a single layer, then sit the beef on top of the vegetables. Roast on a middle shelf in the oven for 20 minutes. 
5. While the beef is roasting, put the dried mushrooms in a bowl with boiling water to rehydrate. After a 20 minute hot blast, reduce the oven temperature to 170C fan and continue to roast the beef for a further 25 -30 minutes or until the centre reaches 45C. Use a digital probe thermometer to check, and remember that the beef will continue to cook as it rests. 
6. Lift the beef from the roasting tray and set aside to rest in a warm place while you make the gravy. Carefully drain or spoon most of the fat from the roasting tray and discard it.
7. Then, place the tray and its contents back on the hob over a medium heat. Add the flour, and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring continuously. Add the soaked mushrooms, along with their soaking liquid and the Madeira. 
8. Let it bubble away until reduced by half. Add the stock and herbs and simmer for 15 minutes or until the gravy thickens. Meanwhile, heat the butter in a medium frying pan over a high heat. 
9. When the butter is foaming, add the chestnut mushrooms and cook for 3-4 minutes or until they have caramelised well then set aside. 
10. When the gravy has thickened, strain it through a sieve into a saucepan, squeezing as much flavour out of the vegetables as you can using the back of a spoon. 
11. Pour any resting juices from the beef into the gravy and add in the sautéed mushrooms. Finish with the red wine vinegar and parsley and stir well, then season to taste. 

Tom's Tip:

For the perfectly cooked, rosy pink beef every time- use a meat thermometer to know exactly when to take it out of the oven.