We love leftovers: beef

Last week it was pork, this time it's beef. In the third of our `we love leftovers' series, lovefood looks at what two people can do with the meat leftover from a roasted topside of beef.

Sunday – horseradish and sugar crusted beef

“Simple beyond belief,” says recipe author Catherine Hill, “but the combination of fiery horseradish and sweet soft brown sugar is a hit.” All you need from the shops is fresh horseradish in a jar (which comes pre-grated), a bag of soft brown sugar, and a 1kg piece of topside beef.

Mix the horseradish (grate it if it isn't already) with the sugar, then rub it all over the beef with a little pepper, and roast for 20 minutes at a high temperature. Reduce the heat and cook for 25 minutes per 450g plus 25 minutes, then allow to stand for 20 minutes or so before serving with all the roast dinner trimmings. Easy peasy!

This recipe will make enough to serve four big appetites. But what to do with leftovers?

Cost of meal: around £13 for a decent British piece of topside beef, plus £1.45 for a jar of pre-grated horseradish (we’re assuming you already have the sugar). That’s £14.45.

Monday’s leftover lunch – cold roast beef with dill and mustard

Ok, we’re not strictly sticking to the recipe… instead of rare roast beef, we want to serve slathers of our leftover roasted beef with the salad and dill dressing created here by Lucas Hollweg. A great, carb-free lunch, just whisk Dijon mustard, vinegar and caster sugar together until smooth, then vigorously whisk in the vegetable oil until the sauce is thick. A little hot water and fresh dill will finish it off.

Serve the beef with the dressing and watercress, and if you’re really hungry a hunk of bread. A very quick way to an original and fulfilling lunch.

Cost of meal: we’re going to assume that you already have Dijon mustard, vegetable oil, sugar and a little vinegar in the cupboard. So all you’ll need is watercress and fresh dill, which won’t be more than £2, or 50p per person.

Monday’s leftover dinner – beef with cumin

“Cumin is not a typical spice in mainstream Chinese cookery,” says recipe author Fuchsia Dunlop. “I came across the original version of this sensational recipe in a restaurant in Hunan called Guchengge, and it became one of the most popular in my Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook.”

Just skip Step 1 of the recipe (preparing the beef), and instead of using the marinade for the meat, chuck it in with the peppers instead. You’ll need red and green peppers, finely chopped ginger, garlic, red chilli, cumin, spring onions and dried chilli flakes to complete the recipe.

Cost of meal: about £2.50 per person.

Tuesday’s leftover dinner – Beijing tea house stir-fry

Chef John Gregory-Smith was inspired to create this recipe after visiting a restaurant in the Xicheng distric to of Beijing. “Lunch was a taste of real China,” he says. “We had sweet and sour fish, beef hot pot and a lovely stir-fried mushroom dish. This is my version of that stir-fry.”

Begin by heating a large wok over a high heat, then add a little oil and sizzle the peppercorns. What follows is an array of vegetables, made rich with soy sauce and oyster sauce. We think that this veggie mushroom stir-fry would work beautifully with strips of leftover beef chucked on top…

Cost of meal: again, around £2.50 each.

What do you make from leftover beef? How long does it last for in your household? Talk to use in the comments box below.

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