Restoring Sharepoint 2007 To Another Server

I am having big problems with trying to restore a full backup of Sharepoint 2007 taken from our existing server and restoring it to a new one.
I need to be able to do it as proof that it can be done quickly and efficiently if anything ever happens to our server.
I guess that rather than going into the specifics of my problem now it might easier to ask how other people have done it, as I am sure it must be possible.

Can anybody help me out with a best practise type scenario so I can get this right?