Sunday roast cook off

Penelope_Penguin

jobbingmusician wrote:

The meat you are going to roast.

Selecting the meat. If you have access to a good quality butcher, I'm sure he (they all seem to be men ) will be tickled pink if you tell him about this challenge and ask him to recommend something. People love to be asked advice. You could also go to the fresh meat counter in your local supermarket if you have one, and do the same thing . If you are looking for meat and have only access to pre-packed, follow the instructions below. If you are getting your meat frozen, you will be able to follow some of the hints below.

Please can I make a plea for your local butcher. You'll find the meat is no more expensive, and will be far better quality than you buy at the supermarket. Ask for advice, and often your butcher will prepare a joint to your requirements, and have it ready for th day you want it.

jobbingmusician wrote:

Potatoes for roasting - Maris Piper are good.

Dunno about MP, but IME Desiree is widely recognised as the potato of choice for roasties. They're red, btw. Tigs, what did you use - yours looked crispy.

tigs wrote:

I have cooked a beef joint before (in my can't cook won't cook cookery class) and roasties are my forte but as for all the other stuff :eek: and trying to get it all ready at the same time, the thought of it makes me shudder :rotfl:

How about some roast veg. You can add whatever you have, and their timing will be less crucial than boiled veg. Parsnip, carrot, onion, swede, celeriac, turnip go well together.

scottishspendaholic wrote:

*What cut of beef do I need? I know you get things like Topside, Silverside, Somethingelseside - what do I need and do I cook it with the stringy bit on?

As above, ask your butcher. Oooh, agree with JayJay, rib of beef is BEST. Bit pricey, but you get loads, then fab stock for onion soup. Recipe for that, anyone?

scotspen wrote:

*Gravy with cornflour? I make mine with granules but would love to make real gravy! Is it really embarassing to admit that I didn't know there was another kind of gravy?

Gravy can be no more than the juices from the meat. This is how I like it TBH. DH likes it thicker, so when he's cooking, that's what we get! To thicken it you add slaked cornfour (cornflour powder mixed with water). Not difficult, honest.

Jobbingmusician, can I be your assistant. I'll bring a lemon (or rhubarb!!!) meringue pie.

Penny. x

kittykat100

Ohhhhhh,

I might join too!! However the best yorkies I can do are Aunt Bessies! May try to do proper ones.
Have a question about Gravy. How EXACTLY do you make it? Do you drain off the excess oil first? am confused.. only ever used gravy granuals.
Also does anyone know how to make onion sauce? my nan used to make it to go with lamb, it was thick and white.

Kittyx

jobbingmusician

Penelope_Penguin wrote:

Jobbingmusician, can I be your assistant. I'll bring a lemon (or rhubarb!!!) meringue pie.

Penny. x[/I][/I]

Please please please do! I was beginning to panic a bit - 41 posts already, and specialist advice needed about cuts of beef (which I was planning to research tomorrow) :rotfl: I think we'll be a great team!

I'll bring the (HM - honest!) wine (is elderberry OK? Goes well with beef...)

jobbingmusician

scottishspendaholic wrote:

QUESTIONS ALERT!

*What cut of beef do I need? I know you get things like Topside, Silverside, Somethingelseside - what do I need and do I cook it with the stringy bit on?

PP has done a great reply to the 'cut' question, so it's a rib for choice. If anyone buys a cut with string on, the string is there to hold it together in a nice shape while it cooks, so yes, you leave it on (but remember to take it off before carving, in case I forget to mention this in the heat of battle).

scottishspendaholic wrote:

*Gravy with cornflour? I make mine with granules but would love to make real gravy! Is it really embarassing to admit that I didn't know there was another kind of gravy?

Yes, we're going to make real gravy. Sudden thought - this is nice with a glass of red wine in it. I'll go back and add wine to the shopping list. TBH, I don't bother with gravy for my 'everyday' roasts (yes, we eat a lot - usually when I find a last minute joint reduced to half price ) but I could never eat granule gravy as it is full of MSG and I am allergic!

scottishspendaholic wrote:

I will need step-by-step instructions for the yorkies (a la pastry in the last thread!)

Natty's already posted a good one - this may need translating into 'bloke' nearer the time (I've just slept most of the way through America's Sweethearts on FilmFour, so I know it's bedtime now :rolleyes: )

Gosh, this is exciting!

Question

Are we doing Sunday lunch or Sunday dinner?

Penelope_Penguin

jobbingmusician wrote:

Please please please do! I was beginning to panic a bit - 41 posts already, and specialist advice needed about cuts of beef (which I was planning to research tomorrow) :rotfl: I think we'll be a great team!

I'll bring the (HM - honest!) wine (is elderberry OK? Goes well with beef...)

It's a deal! :T :T I'll bring some HM sparkling apple wine (made with HG apples), for those serving chicken.

Have you ever cooked a rib of beef? It seems expensive, but you get loads - the butchery equivalent of a tardis!

Another thing about meat, get the biggest joint you can afford. Then any shrinkage is a smaller proportion of the whole, and it'll be more tender. We often cook for 8, so a huge 4-rib of beef is a great centrepiece.

jobbingmusician wrote:

Question

Are we doing Sunday lunch or Sunday dinner?

Around these parts, dinner is served at lunch time (I'm a southern exile, adopted by Yorkshire)

Edit - I'm not meaning to shout here, formatting button won't let me make these words small

Penny. x

jobbingmusician

Penelope_Penguin wrote:

agree with JayJay, rib of beef is BEST. Bit pricey, but you get loads, then fab stock for onion soup. Recipe for that, anyone?

Penny, (if it's OK to call you that? Do say if you hate it as I have [another] Penelope friend who does)....

A quick professional consulatation next door????

*moves next door and shuts door.* I thought we were going to use the stock for gravy?

Jay-Jay_4

Oh gravy is easy peasy yummy scrummy when you have meat juices and the water from the veg to play with.

If you're doing a roast 'whatever' then you do it on a rack and the juices and the sticky stuff from the bottom of the pan are the base of a delicious gravy.... waste none of it!

To get the fat off tilt the roasting tin and watch it seperate. The juice will sink to the bottom and the fat will sit on the top. Get a big spoon and a dish and skim the fat off. You can use this to make your yorkies or save it for your next lot of roast spuds.

Once you have juice (maybe only a bit) you add your veggie water and let it cook a bit. Taste it now and it will be gravyish but depending how much veg water you had it may be quite thin. If so.... BOIL it to reduce it and so intensify the flavour. Once it's reduced a bit you can add a stock cube or/and a splash of Lea & Perrins, pepper, salt, Marmite (yes really) or whatever you have to hand.

When it tastes like you want it to get it bubbling and get out your box of cornflour. Put a couple of teaspoons of cornflour in a cup and put an inch of water in, mix well until it dissolves and then pour some into your gravy while stiring. It will pale a bit and thicken.... add a bit more and stir. Keep going until it's the right thickness and then let it bubble very gently for a couple of minutes.

It's done!

It looks like a lot of writing but in real life it's really very quick.

Natty68

Dinner or teatime suits me.. The chicken goes in the slowcooker on high and normally takes 4 hours to cook, so I can give DH instructions to put it in when he gets up to let the dogs out in the morning..lol

I'll post my easy peasy receipe for lemon and garlic roast chicken later, need bed soon..lol

Penelope_Penguin

jobbingmusician wrote:

Penny, (if it's OK to call you that? Do say if you hate it as I have [another] Penelope friend who does)....

A quick professional consulatation next door????

*moves next door and shuts door.* I thought we were going to use the stock for gravy?

We're using the juices from the meat for gravy. The next day, we'll take what's left of the rib bones, and boil them up with veg for loads more stock. It'll be dark (unlike light stock that you get from a chicken) with loads of flavour, so is an excellent basis for a rich onion soup with cheese croutons.

Penny. x

PS, you can indeed call me Penny (I'm known as Pen Pen on the daily thread btw). It's not my real name anyway :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

kittykat100

Don't you use Bisto to make the gravy>>???

Gawd... Am scared.. Will give it a go, but I usually cook the meat with the pots around it in the tin. I have never used a Rack....

Note to self.... Buy bottle of nice Cava for dutch courage