Roast Beef with Herbed Butter

I made this beef for our new years party and it was surprising moist and delicious, often difficult to achieve with a beef roast. Tenderising the meat, moistening it with herb butter and cooking it on a low temperature are a winning combination I highly recommend. The meat is delicious served cold too at a picnic, in a sandwich or with salads.

1.5kg beef roast such as sirloin, silverside or topside
500ml buttermilk

Herb Butter
50ml butter
1t wholegrain mustard
3T chopped parsley
2T chopped chives
1/2t dried thyme
1/2t dried oregano

Trim the fat and outer skin off the meat. Marinade in the buttermilk overnight. Return to room temperature before cooking.

Make the butter by placing all the ingredients in a food processor until mixed and the butter is of a spreading consistency.

Wash the meat and wipe clean. Preheat the oven to 160C. Slice the meat in half. Place half the butter in the middle of the meat and rub it into the meat. Place the remaining butter on top of the meat. Place in a roasting dish, together with 3 sprigs of rosemary and 3 bay leaves. Cook
1 hour for medium rare
1 1/2 hours for medium
2 hours for well done.

Turn off the oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes. Slice thinly and serve.

Tip: If you do not have buttermilk or enough time to marinade the meat. Prepare the meat and wash with vinegar. Allow to tenderise for a couple of hours. Cook as above.

We grilled the meat on both sides over a charcoal grill before serving with a potato bake, roasted vegetables, and green beans and mushrooms with sour cream.