Roast Beef with Yorkshire Pudding, Grilled Eggplant and Pea, Mint, and Avocado Salad

Ingredients

For the Roast Beef:

• 5 pounds beef roast
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 5 sprigs rosemary leaves, chopped

For the Yorkshire Pudding:

• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 4 eggs
• Scant 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1 tablespoon beef drippings or vegetable oil

For the Grilled Eggplant:

• 2 tablespoons garlic infused oil, plus more if needed
• 1 eggplant
• Salt
• 1 tablespoon snipped chives
• Freshly cracked black pepper
• 1/2 a lemon, juiced

For the Pea, Mint, and Avocado Salad:

• 9 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more, if needed
• 1 1/2 tablespoons good white wine vinegar
• Fat pinch superfine sugar
• Bunch mint leaves, chopped
• 1 pound shelled peas (about 3 1/2 pounds unshelled)
• 1 package (10 ounces) mixed salad greens
• 2 heads Belgian endive, separated into leaves
• 3 ripe avocados, cut into bite-size chunks

Directions

To make the beef roast, preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.

Place the beef roast on a clean work surface and rub with the olive oil and chopped rosemary.

Place into the preheated oven and cook for 15 minutes and then turn the heat down to 350 degrees F. Cook for about 15 minutes per pound for rare meat, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest, covered, for about 15 minutes before slicing.

To make the Yorkshire Pudding, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Mix the milk, eggs, and salt, and add pepper, beating all well together. I use my freestanding mixer but a hand-held electric mixer, rotary, or balloon whisk would do. Let these ingredient stand for 15 minutes and then whisk in the flour. Meanwhile, add the drippings a large heat-proof pan and put it in the oven to heat for about 10 minutes. Into this intensely hot pan you should pour in the batter and cook for 20 minutes, or until well puffed and golden. Bring it, triumphant, to the table.

To make the grilled eggplant, place the garlic-oil into a shallow dish and set aside. On a clean work surface, slice the eggplant into long, thin slices and then place into the garlic-oil, turning to coat.

Preheat a griddle or stove top grill pan and then place each eggplant slice onto the grill. Cook about 2 to 3 minutes and then turn, and cook 2 to 3 minutes more. Remove the grilled slices to a platter and drizzle with more of the garlic-oil. Garnish with coarse salt, cracked black pepper, lemon juice and snipped chives.

To make the pea, mint and avocado salad, first make the dressing: put the oil, vinegar, and sugar into a large bowl and then put in a decent handful of the chopped mint. Stir well so all is amalgamated. Cook the peas for 2 minutes or so in salted boiling water, just so that they're ready, but not soft. Taste after 2 minutes and keep tasting. Drain the peas in a colander, put them straightaway into the bowl of dressing, and let steep for 1 hour or up to a day.

Just before serving, stir in the mixed greens, the endive, and the avocado. You may need to drizzle a bit more oil after tossing. Serve this on a big plate. Sprinkle with some more of the chopped mint.