During the stay at home order we are digging in our freezers, and trying to use the 'oldest' items first. Hubby came up with a big beef roast for Easter dinner, and some chicken legs/thighs for me.
Why not use a recipe--especially now? Because, we have to be FLEXIBLE...so I have offered some alternatives as we go along here. I have done all of the suggestions at one time or another, so feel free to wing it, yourself.
Today, I used a
3# beef roast, the more marbled, the tastier it will be.
Generously sprinkle meat with a garlic/pepper based steak seasoning-your choice. If you like it on a hamburger, it will be great on your roast.
2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce or one of your choice.
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| oldnewgreenredo |
Deeply fork the roast all over, and season in a low pan. Dribble the Worcester or your favorite sauce on it, turn over and repeat the dry seasoning and sauce. Cover with foil and leave at room temp for 1-2 hours or in the fridge overnight.
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| oldnewgreenredo |
This was a pretty long piece of meat, so I used my griddle with two burners working on HIGH.
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| oldnewgreenredo |
Definitely had a good sizzle going. Do every side until it is seared all over, even the edges.
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| oldnewgreenredo |
My favorite splatter lid.
While this is searing you can prepare the vegetables.
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| oldnewgreenredo |
3 onions cut in quarters
5-6 stalks of celery cut in hunks
6 potatoes cut in sizes that will bake in 1 1/2 hours.
Reserve 1/2 the celery and 1/2 the onions, but use
pan spray on the rest and store at room temperature, covered. This will keep them from drying out and discoloring. Or, you can leave in salt water also.
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| oldnewgreenredo |
This will keep them from drying out and discoloring.
The thick piece now has a good sear, which will keep the juices in. Move the meat into a lidded roaster or heavy lidded oven pot.
Meanwhile, lower heat on stove,
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| oldnewgreenredo |
Add to griddle/frypan
1/2 cup of any wine---(bottom of your bottles is fine or, 1 cup of cider, or beer)
1/3 cup of catsup or a tomato based sauce. (The sugar content in this, will help with carmelization and adds an extra kick of flavor.)
1/2 cup of water
Bring liquids to boil to deglaze pan, scrape all the goodness of bits and pieces up. Add one half of the celery and onions on top and sides of the beef. and then pour the deglazed liquid on top of the beef in the roaster.
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| oldnewgreenredo |
This should be enough liquid to start your roast with, you can always add more.
Cover roaster and put in oven at 325 degrees for one hour.
Check to see if there is enough liquid. Add more (water with wine, beer or cider if needed.) Bottom should be completely covered.
Roast one more hour, covered.
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| oldnewgreenredo |
Now add your room temperature vegetables. You can see the spray sitting on top.
(Normally I would add a mixture of zucchini, peppers, fresh tomatoes, or parsnips/turnips depending on the season, but our fresh stuff is depleted.)
Vegetables will add lots of liquid, great for gravy. I baste the vegetables when I put them in the roaster for seasoning with the juice, which is already a rich brown.
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| oldnewgreenredo |
Season to taste or baste with pot juices. TASTE juice if you aren't sure.
Roast covered until done (1 1/2 hours) (I upped the temp to 350 at this point, but watch your liquids.)
If you must fuss with it, you can baste the vegetables again, but every time you open the oven, it takes LONGER.
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| oldnewgreenredo |
Remove vegetables/meat to platter or dish and cover and keep in oven at 200 or under. Fork test, all the veggies are carmelized to a beautiful gold. Since it was just us, I skipped the large platter and used a pan.
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| oldnewgreenredo |
Taste the drippings in roaster for salt/seasoning, adjust. Place on top of stove, reduce to increase flavor and bring juices back to boil. I added a cup of water to the bottom of my pan for gravy. The seasoning was perfect as it was.
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| oldnewgreenredo |
Add 1 Tbsp of either cornstarch/flour/or arrowroot to a 1/2 cup of water and dissolve. Slowly add to the juices in the roaster and cook. Repeat until desired consistency is reached. I figure 1Tbsp of cornstarch per 1 cup of juices. (I ended up using 1 1/2 TBsp of flour for this gravy. An immersion blender makes quick work out of the gravy.
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| oldnewgreenredo |
Health Tip: By putting juice into a fat reducer measuring cup, you can pour off only the broth (basically vegetables), leaving the fat in the cup.
Serve and enjoy!
If you are working/ QUICK COOK: Sear meat on stove top, throw everything in a crockpot on high for 1 hour, and then low all day! Remove meat and make gravy on stovetop, at night.
Hubby said this is the best roast I have ever made, and we have been married for 51 years!
Enjoy!
Thank you for any and all comments.
Finally I am able to reply to comments by using Chrome. So all you Mac users who have upgraded to Catalina---this might help the glitches on Safari and Blogger!
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This is my husband's favorite meal of all! He would have sat down to your table with a big smile on his face. I like it too but I think I like the soup made from the leftovers even better. I loved that your husband told you it was the best roast beef ever--in 51 years! Little compliments like that are so important. We like the same vegetables that you do, even turnips when I have them. Your gravy looked wonderful! Your pictures and descriptions are so clear and helpful. Isn't it wonderful that pantry meals can be some of the best meals ever?
ReplyDeleteI have about 3 or 4 roast beef recipes that I alternate using but this is the backbone recipe (or one very similar to it) that I learned from my own mother many decades ago. Last week RH came home from the store with a cut of beef I'd never used before, a sirloin tip roast. He said it was the only roast beef left for sale. I googled recipes and it wasn't bad at all. We no longer have the big freezer we had at our old house so I'm limited in freezer space but it's kind of a fun challenge to see what RH brings home for me to cook now. I hope you continue to post recipes!
Thanks, Dewena--Sent you mail, and this was just a big chuck roast. Years ago, I would buy huge roasts and dissect them myself, saving the round for pot roast the rest for stew. Back when bones were in meat...lol, now you can't find a piece with bones, and then have to pay $4.00 or more a pound for bones??? And Bones add flavor...! I made bone soup (paid for them) before I had my surgery---to add nourishment when I was recovering---so good.
DeleteYour best roast....that makes you happy, doesn't it? I made one in the crock pot and then made soup out of the leftovers a few days later. And I made roasted veggies in the oven one day....something I never make. It's nice to try some different dishes or even some of the old recipes, tried and true. Take care and stay healthy!
ReplyDeleteI use roasted veggies with every kind of meat---much easier than so many pots and pans. And, the crock pot is always good, too! Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteHummmm!It looks yummy!Hugs!
ReplyDeleteThank you, hubby said...thumbs up!
DeleteIt looks yummy!
ReplyDeleteHave a nice day!
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Thanks so much!
DeleteWow. That looks heavenly, I'd love to try this!
ReplyDeleteHi, Terry. It is the easiest way to cook. Season, braise, throw it in a pot with whatever and a liquic..and make sauce from the drippings. NUMMY and easy! Thanks for stopping by, Sandi
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