Slow cooked topside beef

Working 9-5 doesn't have to stop you from enjoying good food. With the invention of the slow cooker came the accessibility of restaurant-quality meals on any day that ends with y. If you don't have a slower cooker but do have a pressure cooker, you can follow the exact same recipe and turn it on when you get home from work. 

Plus, did you know that slow cooking meat can unlock more nutrition? So you get the best of both words: great taste and good health.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil, divided 
• 1kg topside roast 
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper 
• 1 medium onion, peeled, halved and cut into thick slices 
• 5 garlic cloves, minced 
• 1 1/4 cups beef broth 
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce 
• 1 Tbsp minced fresh thyme 
• 1 Tbsp minced fresh rosemary 
• 1kg of baby white potatoes left whole, or larger potatoes cut into quarters
• 5 medium carrots, peeled and cut into pieces 
• 2 1/2 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 3 tbsp beef broth, optional, for thickening 
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley, for serving
  

Method
1. For a highly flavourful beef roast, leave roast in a pot of water with a lot salt and a dash of Worcestershire sauce. For a ~1kg roast, use 10 grams of salt and 1.3 litres of water. Sit overnight then in the morning prepare to sear. 

2. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Dab the roast dry with paper towel, season generously all over with salt and cracked pepper. Sear roast in pot until browned on both sides, about 4 - 5 minutes per side. Transfer roast to the slow cooker. 

3. Add remaining 1/2 tbsp olive oil to pot. Add onion and saute 2 minutes, add garlic and saute 30 seconds longer. Pour onion mixture over roast in slow cooker.  For extra flavour, put the beef broth into the pot for 15 seconds to soften and scrape up the fond (brown food bits) from the bottom of the pot. Pour the broth and the browned bits into the slow cooker. 

4. Add the Worcestershire, thyme and rosemary. Layer potatoes and carrots around the roast. Cover slow cooker and cook on low heat until roast and vegetables are tender, about 8 - 9 hours. Remove roast and vegetables, shred roast (discard fat) and cut potatoes if desired. Serve with fresh parsley.

5. If you'd like to thicken the broth and make a gravy, pour broth from slow cooker into a pot. Heat over medium-high heat. Whisk the cornstarch slurry together then pour into saucepan. Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly, let simmer 30 - 60 seconds.