Beef Roast with Baby Potatoes
Published: 20.09.2026
Beef roast with potatoes, vegetables, and brown sauce is a dinner that doesn't require many modern techniques. The most important factors are good meat, the right core temperature, and preserving the juices and drippings along the way.
- Servings
- 2 servings
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 20 min
Ingredients
Beef Roast
- 1 beef roast, approx. 1.15 kg
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- A little neutral oil
- 1 tbsp butter
Potatoes and Vegetables
- 500–600 g baby potatoes with skin
- 2–3 carrots
- 1 large yellow onion
- 3–4 garlic cloves
- A little neutral oil
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1.5 dl broth
Classic Brown Sauce
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp flour
- 3.5–4 dl broth and drippings
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Optional: a little soy sauce
- Optional: a little Worcestershire sauce
Kitchen Tools
- Frying pan
- Baking dish
- Meat thermometer
- Saucepan
- Whisk
- Strainer
- Sharp carving knife
Instructions
- Mise en place: Take the beef roast out of the refrigerator about 45 minutes before cooking. Wash the baby potatoes and keep the skin on. Only cut the largest potatoes in half. Peel the carrots and cut them into large pieces. Cut the onion into large wedges. The garlic cloves can be used whole. Preheat the oven to 125 °C with both top and bottom heat.
- Dry the roast well and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Heat a little oil in a frying pan over high heat. Sear the roast well on all sides. Add the butter towards the end and spoon the hot butter over the meat. The twine or netting should stay on during searing, cooking, and resting.
- Place the baby potatoes, carrots, onion, and garlic in a baking dish. Drizzle with a little oil, salt, and pepper. Toss everything together well.
- Pour about 1.5 dl of broth into the bottom of the dish.
- Place the beef roast on a rack over the vegetables. If you don't have a rack, the roast can be placed directly on top of the vegetables.
- Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the meat. Roast at 125 °C until the desired core temperature is reached: 58–60 °C for pink to medium, 62–65 °C for more well-done.
- Start monitoring the core temperature after about 1.5 hours. The cooking time will typically be around 1.5–2 hours, but the shape of the roast matters more than the weight. Therefore, trust the thermometer.
- Remove the roast from the dish and let it rest for 20–25 minutes. Cover loosely with aluminum foil. The netting should still be on.
- Increase the oven temperature to 225 °C. Pour off most of the drippings from the dish and save it for the sauce.
- Toss the potatoes and vegetables in the remaining liquid and fat in the dish. Continue roasting for 20–25 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and have a dry, wrinkled skin.
- Make the sauce while the meat is resting and the vegetables are in the oven. Strain the drippings and mix it with the broth. You will need a total of about 3.5–4 dl of liquid.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the flour and stir well. Allow the roux to brown gently over medium heat while stirring.
- Gradually add the hot broth and drippings while whisking. Let the sauce simmer for 10–15 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and optionally a little soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce.
- Remove the netting just before slicing the roast. Cut the meat into thin slices against the grain.
- Serve with baby potatoes, carrots, onion, garlic, and plenty of brown sauce. Lingonberry goes well on the side.
Flavor Profile
Rich and meaty flavor from the beef roast, the broth, and the drippings. The vegetables absorb sweetness and flavor from the meat, while the browned roux gives the sauce a classic, nutty depth.
A Classic Dinner Where All the Flavors Are Preserved
For this recipe, I use a beef roast weighing about 1.15 kg. This is a suitable size for two or three people, depending on how much side dish is served and how hungry the guests are.
The roast is first seared well in a hot pan. This gives the meat a crust and more flavor than if it goes straight into the oven. A little butter is added towards the end of the searing and can be spooned over the meat.
The twine or netting around the roast should remain on throughout the cooking process. It helps the meat maintain its shape both in the pan, in the oven, and while it rests. The netting is removed just before the meat is sliced.
Potatoes and Vegetables Under the Roast
Baby potatoes, carrots, onion, and garlic are placed in a baking dish with a little broth at the bottom. The roast is placed over the vegetables, either on a rack or directly on top of them.
As the meat roasts, the drippings run down into the dish and mix with the broth, vegetables, and fat. This gives the side dishes much more flavor than if the potatoes and vegetables were cooked separately.
I use baby potatoes with skin on. They can stay in the oven at low temperature for a long time, absorbing flavor. When the roast is taken out to rest, the temperature is increased. The potatoes and vegetables then get about 20–25 minutes at 225 °C. This makes the potatoes completely tender while the skin becomes drier and more wrinkled.
If there is a lot of liquid in the dish, most of it should be poured off before increasing the temperature. Too much liquid will cause the potatoes to continue boiling and steaming instead of browning.
Use a Thermometer, Not a Clock
The beef roast is cooked at 125 °C. How long it takes will vary with the shape and thickness of the meat. Two roasts of the same weight can therefore have different cooking times.
A meat thermometer is more important than an exact time indication. If you want the roast pink to medium, it can be taken out at about 58–60 °C. If you prefer it more well-done, the temperature can be increased to around 62–65 °C.
After cooking, the meat should rest for 20–25 minutes. This allows the temperature to even out and more of the meat juices to remain in the roast when it is sliced.
The resting time also provides just enough time to finish the potatoes and make the sauce.
Classic Brown Sauce with Broth and Drippings
For this dinner, I make a traditional brown sauce with butter and flour. I do not use cream because homemade bone broth and drippings already provide the sauce with plenty of flavor.
Butter and flour are gently browned in a saucepan before the hot liquid is added gradually. It is important to whisk continuously to ensure the sauce is smooth and lump-free.
The sauce should simmer for 10–15 minutes. This removes the raw flour taste, and the consistency becomes smoother. A little soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce can be used for extra depth, but it’s wise to taste first. A good broth and drippings can already contain a lot of salt and flavor.
Serving
When the meat has rested, the netting is removed. The roast is sliced thinly against the grain.
Serve the meat with baby potatoes, carrots, baked onion, garlic, and plenty of brown sauce. A little lingonberry on the side adds acidity and sweetness to the hearty dinner.
This is a classic dinner where all the components come together. The meat flavors the vegetables, the drippings form the base for the sauce, and the resting time is used to finish the rest of the meal.
Editorial Content: The content is produced independently and is not paid or sponsored unless otherwise clearly stated.
Photos
Note: Information may contain errors. Always verify important facts yourself.
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