Roast beef will be tastier and juicier if you rub it with 1 unusual but simple ingredient

One of the easiest and most satisfying dinners possible to cook involves a roast of some kind, and roast beef is the classic. The meat pairs beautifully with roasted potatoes, a baked potato, or some creamy mashed potatoes. The preparation is usually quite simple, and while it's in the oven, it requires no attention from you.

The only thing you really have to think about is adding flavour to the meat. London-based recipe developer Julia Frey took to her food blog Vikalinka to share her "delicious" roast beef recipe that she seasons with one "unusual" ingredient - coffee.

She said: "Although it might sound unusual to flavour your beef with coffee, please don't dismiss this idea without trying.

"This delicious rub is a mix of freshly ground coffee, brown sugar, ground chipotle chilli, garlic and oil. Sweet, spicy, savoury and fragrant, all together they create a beautiful flavour.

"I do recommend using finely ground coffee for better texture. It will be especially good if it's freshly ground. We want to lock that beautiful aroma in."

Apart from the "delicious taste" the rub imparts, the acidity in coffee also acts as a "tenderiser". She claimed: "This unique rub will definitely make your roast truly special."

Ingredients (serves 12)

• 3kg of topside beef in the UK
• Two tablespoons of olive oil
• 65g of brown sugar
• Four tablespoons of finely ground coffee
• One tablespoon of chipotle chilli powder
• Three garlic cloves, minced
• Three teaspoons of salt

Method

Start by taking the beef joint out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking. Mix the ingredients for the rub and cover the meat with the rub all over, then place it in a roasting pan. Let it sit for 20-25 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200 degrees.

Roast the beef in the preheated oven for one hour and 30 minutes for medium rare or until the internal temperature registers at 55 degrees.

Transfer to a platter and let it rest covered in foil for 30 minutes before slicing.