Roast beef with date & tamarind

Season the beef with 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp salt and the pepper. Leave for 30 minutes at room temperature or up to 24 hours in the fridge. Make sure it is at room temperature when it goes into the oven.

Preheat the oven to 150ºC, gas mark 2. Put the vegetables, herbs, garlic and ½ of the dates in a large roasting tin; sit the beef on top, fatty-side up. Roast for 2 hours until caramelised all over, stirring the veg halfway through with any juices and fat from the bottom of the tin. If you have a meat thermometer, it should reach 45ºC when pushed into the deepest part of the beef. Remove from the oven and turn up to 240ºC, gas mark 9. Once at temperature, return the beef and veg to the oven for 10 minutes until the fat is crisp and golden, the meat is browned and thoroughly cooked on the outside and the veg have taken on some colour. Transfer the beef and veg to a board, cover loosely with foil and rest for 30 minutes-1 hour.

While the beef is resting, put the roasting tin on the hob with the juices and set over a high heat (or transfer the juices to a saucepan). Squeeze the roasted garlic from the roasting tin into the pan, discarding the papery skins. Add the remaining dates, the stock, date & tamarind sauce and remaining ½ tsp salt, then cook for 5-10 minutes until the liquid has reduced by around ¼ and you have a thick, glossy gravy. Strain through a heatproof fine sieve set over a heatproof bowl and allow to cool a little (around 10 minutes). Once slightly cooled, use a spoon to skim off and discard any fat that has risen to the top. When ready to serve, transfer to a small pan and reheat for 5 minutes over a low heat. Serve the beef alongside the roasted vegetables and gravy.