Beef ‘a la ficelle’

Method

1 Choose a saucepan sufficiently deep to immerse the beef fully in the liquid, leaving it suspended a little way above the base of the pan. Add the vegetable stock and sufficient water to cover the beef, and season generously. Bring to the boil and turn the heat down as low as possible.

2 Tie the beef in string as you would a parcel, leaving two long ends. Lower it into the stock, and wrap the ends of the string around a wooden spoon laid across the top of the pan, so the meat is suspended a little way above the bottom. This should reduce the temperature to about 90°C. Leave it to poach for 15 minutes. Blend the sour cream and horseradish in a bowl, season with salt, and if needed, a few drops of lemon juice.

3 In the meantime, heat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan oven) gas mark 7. Lift the beef out of the stock and cut off the string that you tied it with (leaving any string originally in place for securing the joint). Dab it dry, then season it all over and place it in a small roasting dish. Roast for 20 minutes, rest for 15 minutes.

4 Soon after putting the beef into the oven, bring the stock back to the boil and skim. Add the potatoes and simmer for about 20 minutes, adding the carrots 8 minutes before the end, and the beans 5 minutes before the end. Drain, place them in a serving dish, dot with butter and scatter over the parsley.

5 Thinly slice the beef and serve with the vegetables, with the sour cream sauce spooned over, accompanied by mustard.