Robert Carrier’s Rare Roast Beef

Robert Carrier was a very popular television chef in the 80s. He was famous for ladling on butter, cream and booze onto anything on a plate and in due course fell out of favour with the fat police in the later stages of the 80s and into the 90s. Fortunately one of my flatmates bought me Carrier’s Quick Cook for a Christmas present in 1983 and I’ve used it ever since. As you know, we are not afraid to chuck fat or booze on our food and the lower the carbs in your diet, the more we encourage you to do so.

A few weeks ago I was visiting my son in Leeds and off we went for an outing to Harewood House. This elegant house is in amazing grounds landscaped by Capability Brown. It is a thought that this man laid out many Victorian gardens but never lived to see them attain their full glory.

The grounds include a gem of a second hand bookshop and there I purchased Robert Carrier’s New Great Dishes of the World.  I already have his original Great Dishes of the World and was thrilled to have more boozy, creamy, meaty recipes at my fingertips.

I am now going to describe the late, great, Robert’s method to get perfect, rare roast beef with minimum effort.  He insists that you must have at LEAST 2.5 kg of boned and rolled meat.  I bought  a stunningly expensive rib eye joint of this weight and having never had a disappointment in 34 years of cooking from Carrier’s books entrusted it to his experience.

This is what you do.

Take the meat out of the fridge at least 2 hours before cooking time and hide it from your cats.

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees centigrade or 500 Fahrenheit or gas 10 for at least 20 minutes ahead of time. The oven must be roasting hot.

Rub the joint with salt and pepper and spread it with dripping or butter. This could be about 4 tablespoons or so. Don’t skimp.

Put the meat on a rack in a roasting pan in the oven and cook for 5 minutes per 450g/lb and then switch OFF the oven BUT DON’T OPEN THE DOOR.

Leave it all on its own for two hours.

Touch the meat with your fingers. If it is warm take out and serve. If it is cool but the oven back on at 250 /500/10 for ten minutes or so to warm it before serving.

Enjoy!