Rare roast beef with hasselback potatoes and green beans

Like the chicken recipe on Roast chicken dinner with apple and pistachio stuffing, this is a complete roast meal for four people cooked in just one vessel: huzzah for minimal washing up! The hasselback potatoes take a tad more effort than standard roasties, but they’re worth it, as they soak up all the delicious juices from the beef.

1.5kg boned joint of beef (topside/round or sirloin)

1 tbsp mustard powder or finely ground mustard seeds

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 tbsp dripping or lard

8 medium potatoes

250g fine green beans, trimmed

splash of olive oil

squeeze of lemon juice

Serves: 4 | Takes: about 1 hour 20 minutes

Preheat the oven to 240°C/475°F.

Pat the beef dry with kitchen paper, and rub all over with the mustard and salt and pepper. Place in a 30 x 20 x 5-cm roasting tray, add the fat or lard and roast for 15 minutes, basting halfway through.

Meanwhile, peel the potatoes, then cut slits a few millimetres apart almost to the bottom, so the slices stay connected. The easiest way to do this is to sit a potato in the hollow of a wooden spoon – the edges of the spoon will prevent the knife from slicing all the way through.

Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C/350°F. Add the potatoes to the tray, spoon over lots of the hot fat and season generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 40 minutes, basting the beef and potatoes frequently – for medium-rare or medium roast for 5–10 minutes longer.

Meanwhile, toss the beans in the olive oil and some lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.

Remove the beef from the roasting tray and transfer to a plate. Cover loosely with foil and set aside. Nudge the potatoes to one side of the roasting tray, add the beans (spread them out as much as possible) and return to the oven. Increase the oven temperature to 200°C/400°F and roast for 15 minutes, shaking the tray occasionally.

Carve the beef into thick slices and serve with the potatoes and beans, with the rested meat juices poured over.