Beef with a peppercorn and herb crust with roasted red onions

INGREDIENTS
Serves 4

12g mixed peppercorns (black, green and red)
20g Dijon mustard
20ml rapeseed oil
3g fresh thyme, finely chopped
Sea salt
1kg Scotch Beef PGI topside
3 small red onions, peeled and quartered
300ml beef stock (fresh or stock cube)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 220C. Grind the peppercorns in a mortar and pestle then, in a bowl, mix them with the mustard, oil and thyme, and season with sea salt.

If you struggle to find green and red peppercorns, just use black.

Put the beef in a tin, spread the peppercorn mix over the top, and arrange the onions around the sides. Now roast in the oven for 15 minutes before taking it out to remove the onions, keeping them to one side.

Turn down the heat to 180C, and pour the stock around the roast. Cover the beef loosely with some tin foil (shiny side down), and roast in the oven for about 50 minutes for medium/rare, longer if you prefer well done.

Once removed from the oven, cover the beef and let it rest for 20 minutes, and reheat the onions in the oven for five minutes. If you like gravy, you can use the cooking juices to make it.

Serve the carved meat alongside the onions and vegetables of your choice.