Roast beef with watercress, stilton and potato salad

For the beef salad: preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Season the beef with a generous amount of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat a little olive oil in a large frying pan and fry the beef until browned on all sides.

Line a roasting tray with foil, leaving enough room at the sides so that you can wrap the foil over the meat once it is cooked. Place a couple of thyme sprigs on the tray and put the meat on top. Roast for 45 minutes.

For the shallot rings: in a small bowl, soak the shallot rings in the milk.

Mix the flour and cayenne pepper together in a bowl. Remove the shallot rings from the milk, shake off any excess liquid and toss them in the bowl of flour until well coated. Set aside until ready to fry.

For the potato salad: bring a large saucepan of water to the boil, add a knob of butter and boil the potatoes until tender. Drain the potatoes in a colander then cut them in half.

Once the beef is cooked, remove it from the oven, wrap in the overhanging foil and leave to rest in a warm place for 15 minutes. Reserve any fat and juices that exude from the beef.

Pour the beef fat into a large frying pan and fry the cooked potatoes over a medium heat until crisp and golden brown. Keep warm.

Heat a heavy-based pan of vegetable oil to 180C – do not leave the hot oil unattended – and deep-fry the floured shallot rings until golden and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a plate lined with kitchen paper.

Place the watercress in a salad bowl and add the warm potatoes (reserving the beef juices). Mix well, then add the stilton and most of the horseradish. Pour over the salad dressing and toss to combine.

. Add most of the onion rings (reserving a few for garnish) and the reserved beef juices.

. Once the beef is rested, carve it into 5mm slices and serve alongside the salad. Top with the extra shallot rings and finish with a little grated horseradish.