Beef Mini Roast with Porcini and Chilli

This tasty roast beef mini roasting joint is topped with a dried porcini and chilli paste. It's cooked in under an hour, cut into strips and tossed in a spring salad.

prep time
5 mins

cook time
50 minutes

serves
3 people

Ingredients

1 x 400-450g/14oz-1lb lean beef mini roasting joint (we used a mini topside joint)
For the Porcini and Chilli Paste
:15ml/1tbsp caster sugar
10ml/2tsp salt
5ml/1tsp dried chilli flakes
Pinch freshly milled black pepper
30ml/2tbsp dried porcini mushrooms
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
75ml/5tbsp rapeseed or olive oil
For the Salad
:1 bunch green asparagus, shaved with a swivel headed potato peeler
½ small cucumber, thinly sliced into ribbons
30ml/2tbsp freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley
Grated zest of 1 lemon
75g/3oz baby spinach or pea shoot leaves
30ml/2tbsp extra virgin rapeseed or olive oil

Method

To prepare the paste; put the sugar, salt, chilli flakes, pepper and mushrooms into a small blender and grind to a fine powder. Transfer to a small bowl; add the garlic and oil and mix to form a paste.

Preheat the oven to Gas mark 5, 190°C, 375°F.

Place the beef on a chopping board, make several slashes over the surface and brush with the paste. Transfer to a roasting rack in a medium non-stick roasting tin and roast for 40-50 minutes. Cover with foil if browning too quickly.

Remove the joint from the oven, transfer to a warm plate, cover and leave to rest for 5-10 minutes, 20 minutes if time allows.

To prepare the salad; in a large bowl mix together all the ingredients, season and stir gently.

Slice the beef into strips, toss in the salad and serve.

Tips:

The rub works fantastically well with a large joint, but double the quantities of the porcini and chilli paste. If preferred cook the joint as a quick roast, carve and serve with seasonal vegetables rather than in the salad.