Let me show you the origins of the British Sunday roast and how to make this traditional English meal. I’ll show you how to time each dish properly so they all finish around the same time. It will be so delicious you won’t question why the Brits have been eating this meal since the 15th century.
Why’s it called Sunday roast & why do the Brits have it?
Sunday roast dinner originated during King Henry VII’s reign in the 15th century when his royal guards ate a beef roast lunch after Sunday service. They ate so much beef they were known as beefeaters. Many English folk also partook in eating meat after Sunday service. Much of the meat was cooked on open fire spits, roasting for hours where the Sunday roast name originated.
What do you serve on a “traditional” Sunday roast?
When you’re visiting London the next time, you can easily find restaurants that feature traditional Sunday roasts. This meal consists of a roasted meat main entree and gravy, Yorkshire pudding, roasted potatoes, and a few sides of vegetables. While traditionally, the ‘beefeaters’ ate beef, you can also roast duck, chicken, or lamb cuts.
What’s the best meat for Sunday roast?
Beef is traditional and more common. I like using the beef prime rib roast for this recipe for fancier occasions or when hosting guests who would appreciate it. Bone-in cuts typically will taste better, and prime rib has excellent flavor and a good amount of fat that contributes to this. Bone-in ribeye roast is typically unavailable in supermarket chains except around Christmas and Thanksgiving, so you may need to find a specialty butcher locally for this. You can also buy year-round special cuts online at a store like Wild Fork (see Wild Fork’s ribeye roast options.) However, you can still have delicious results with a modest and leaner beef cut available at major supermarkets like:
top round roast eye of round roast top sirloin roast bottom round roast
But the best meat to serve for Sunday roast is whatever you and your guests enjoy. Some popular and delicious beef alternatives include:
roasted chicken roast lamb turkey
Tips and timing for serving Sunday roast
Making a Sunday roast dinner is a big job, and the first time I made one, I was absolutely tired after cooking for over four hours straight (including prepping ingredients the day before). Here are my top tips for serving Sunday roast:
Prep certain ingredients ahead of time. For example, I cut vegetables, made horseradish cream, and mixed the Yorkshire pudding batter the night before. Limit the number of sides you make to save time, but plan for enough variety. It’s nice to have a bountiful plate of sides; however, know your limits. I found that having two to three vegetables or sides was plenty with the roast beef. Strategize the use of your oven appropriately. Many of these dishes require baking, so make sure you cook them in the proper order and timing to get dishes out at nearly the same time. To do this, I used countertop ovens and my regular oven. I also use sides like steamed vegetables on the stove to free up space in the oven. You can also bake dishes in the oven simultaneously if you have space and they have the same heat level.
For example, let’s say you’re serving dinner at 6:30 p.m. Here’s the order to prepare this Sunday roast if you have 1 main oven, 1 toaster oven, and a stovetop:
One day before dinner:
Day of the dinner:
1 p.m. – remove beef/meat from the refrigerator to bring it to room temperature 3:00 p.m. – Season the meat and let marinade for 20 minutes. 3:00-5:00 p.m. – [Toaster oven] Start the process of pre-boiling the potatoes after cleaning, peeling, and cutting. Drain the potatoes and shake in the pot with a lid. Let them dry out for 5 minutes and preheat the oven and sheet pan with beef tallow. Put the potatoes in the steaming sheet pan and roast in the oven for about one hour, turning every 20 minutes, until they’re golden brown. You may need to do this in batches if your sheet pan or oven is too small to fit all the potatoes (this is why we start early). 3:20-4:55 p.m. – [Main oven] Roast the meat until browned at 500 °F, about 30 minutes. Then, lower to 325 °F and cook until the internal temperature reaches about 120-125 °F for medium rare (there will be carryover cooking of about 10 degrees). 4:55-5:25 p.m. – Remove roast when finished, and let rest 30 minutes before slicing. 5:00-5:45 p.m. – [Main oven] Make the cheesy cauliflower by roasting, then making the cheese sauce on the stovetop, and finishing up in the oven again with all the cheesy fixings. Remove the cheesy cauliflower and add foil on top until it’s time to serve. 5:45-6:00 p.m. – [Toaster oven] Season the carrots and bake for 10 minutes until al dente and cover with foil until time for serving. 6:00-6:25 p.m. – [Main oven] Bake the Yorkshire pudding. 6:20-6:30 p.m. – Make the gravy. 6:30 p.m. – Remove the horseradish cream and serve.
Roast & side dishes in this Sunday roast recipe
Here are the recipes we used for this post, placed in order of when you should start each to maximize efficiency and freshness to serve them all at once.
Roast beef
For this Sunday roast guide, we’ll use top-round roast because it’s commonly available and cost-efficient. If you want to splurge, you can get a beef ribeye roast. The first step is to bring this cut of meat to room temperature so it can cook evenly. It can take about two hours on the counter. Preheat the oven to 500 °F before cooking, and then season the meat for 20 minutes. My number one tip is to use probe thermometers–I like to use ones that you can keep on the meat throughout the cooking process so you can keep track of the temperature. We start by cooking at a high temperature and lower after it browns. Let the meat rest once it’s out of the oven to keep all the meat juices!
Horseradish sauce
I like to make horseradish cream to balance the richness of the meat and carbs. This is one of the easiest things to prepare, and you can even make it a day ahead. Start by whisking the heavy cream to soft peaks. You’ll know it’s done when you turn the whisk over, and the peaks fold slightly–they should not keep their shape. Mix the other ingredients separately and then carefully fold into the whipped cream.
Roasted potatoes
Ultra crispy and crunchy twice-cooked potatoes oven-roasted in duck fat; these roasted potatoes are top-notch and one of my favorite sides in this meal. I like to start with the potatoes because they often take the longest to prep and cook. Par-boil the potatoes until they’re slightly cooked in a beef broth and water mixture. This helps evenly season the potatoes and give them soft, tender centers. After draining the potatoes, place them back into the pot with a lid and shake them well. This creates rough edges that produce crispy surfaces for the duck fat to fry in the oven. Make sure to preheat the duck fat (or neutral oil) in the pan before adding the potatoes–this adds an extra crispiness during baking. Turn the potatoes over every 20 minutes until they’re golden brown. After about an hour in the oven, you should end up with the crunchiest potatoes with piping-hot centers.
Cheesy cauliflower
Sunday roasts aren’t complete without plenty of vegetable sides. Nobody said vegetables had to be boring, and these cheesy cauliflower sides are bites of creamy bites of nutty gruyere and sharp cheddar. Like the roasted potatoes, I also cook cauliflower twice. First, roast it in the oven until it’s al dente, mix it with a homemade cheesy sauce, and bake it in the oven with a sprinkle of breadcrumbs for added crunch. Cover with some tin foil to keep warm until serving.
Honey-glazed carrots
Honey-glazed carrots are great because they balance sweet honey and tanginess from the vinegar. Prepping these veggies is super easy; just make sure to cut your carrots in the same shape and size so they roast at the same time. I cut them into 2-3-inch long and ½-inch thick batons. Whisk together the seasoning ingredients and toss the carrots to cover them evenly. Carrots this size typically cook in about 10 minutes, and they are al dente.
Gravy
Of course, no roasted meat is complete without a savory gravy made from drippings from the prime rib. I always make the gravy next to last because I wait for any available drippings from the meat to add to the sauce. If there’s not enough fat from the roast pan drippings, you can substitute some or all of it with butter. Make a roux with the butter/any available drippings, and flour. Then add the beef broth and seasonings until you get a slightly thickened gravy. Super simple!
Yorkshire pudding
Try to make Yorkshire pudding last so they stay fluffy and crispy right before serving. Yorkshire pudding is a baked pudding that has a similar texture to a Dutch baby but is savory. This Yorkshire pudding recipe includes eggs, flour, buttermilk, water, and salt. I preheat beef tallow in each cup for the muffin pans (or popover tins) to add extra flavor instead of neutral oil. When making Yorkshire pudding, let the batter sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to chill (or even overnight), and preheat the fat in the oven to get it as hot as possible. Combining cold batter and hot oil helps produce fluffy and enlarged Yorkshire pudding.
