Pot-Roast beef with French Onion Gravy

(recipe from "Good food" magazine the seasonal recipe collection Comfort)

 Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 kg silverside or topside beef
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 8 young carrots, tops trimmed if you like
• 1 celery stick, finely chopped
• 200 ml white wine
• 600 ml beef stock
• 2 bay leaves
• 500 gr onion
• few thyme sprigs
• 1 tsp butter
• 1 tsp light brown sugar or muscovado
• 2 tsp plain flour

Step One

 Heat the oven to 160 ℃/ 140 ℃ fan /gas 3.

 Rub the meat with 1 tsp oil and lots of seasoning. Heat a flameproof casserole dish and brown the meat all over for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat 2 tsp oil in a frypan. fry the carrots and celery for 10 minutes until turning golden.

Step Two 

 Set the beef aside on a plate. Add the wine to the casserole and boil for 2 minutes. Pour in the stock, return the beef, then add the carrots, celery and bay, trying to not submerge the carrots to much. Cover and roast for 2h, turning halfway through.

Step Three

 Meanwhile, thinly slice the onion. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan, add the onion, thyme and some seasoning cover and cook gently for 20 minutes until the onions soften but not coloured. Remove the lid, turn up the heat, add the butter and sugar, and caramelise to a golden brown, stirring often. Remove the thyme and set aside.

Step Four

Remove the beef from the casserole and snip off the strings. Reheat the onion pan, stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk the onions into the beef juices in the casserole, and season to taste. Add the beef and carrots back in, or slice the beef and bring to the table on a platter.

Poftǎ Bunǎ !!!