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Cooking a roast dinner

(57 Posts)
Nonu Sun 01-Nov-15 17:52:19

I just love it , specially when we have the family round , as we have this weekend.
Don"t really bother too much when we are on our own.

kittylester Sun 08-Nov-15 09:34:13

I think frozen roast potatoes are awful, Alima, and homemade are so easy anyway.

Today: roast spare rib of pork, roast potatoes, butternut squash roasted with ginger and maple syrup (with enough left to make soup tomorrow), broccoli roasted with chilli oil and parmesan cheese. The pork will have been roasted on a bed of onions, bay leaves and black peppercorns. While the pork is resting, I'll make gravy by adding red wine to the residue in the pan (including the caramelised onions and the herbs) reducing it then adding stock and reducing that. Maybe adding a dash of Worcester Sauce or redcurrant jelly (or raspberry jam blush) or any left over anchovies that might be lurking in the fridge.

I don't find that at all stressful, in fact I find it a restful way to spend my time.

Nonna60 Sun 08-Nov-15 09:21:18

I pot roasted it so meal:
1 roast and veg
2 Cold chicken, chips, salad
3 stripped meat off carcass half made a curry, added chopped veg left over
4 remaining meat made chicken and mushroom soup and I added a tin of butter beans. Had it with freshly made bread.

Only feeding two of us so large chicken does it smile

ninathenana Mon 02-Nov-15 15:00:58

loopyloo 4 meals from one chicken shock I wish I could do that.

ninathenana Mon 02-Nov-15 14:55:39

jings I find cooking a roast the least knackering of all meals.
Chuck a joint/bird in the oven prepare some veg and do your own thing for 3 hrs until it's time to cook the veg.
DH likes a roast every Sunday, unless its a hot day. Yesterdays was pork with roasties and cabbage.

Alima Mon 02-Nov-15 12:42:47

When my girls left home I told DH, "that's it, No more cooking"!Now that has come back to bite me on the bum, one DD and GS have moved back with us. Already I have started to panic about Christmas dinner. Am going to practice very soon with a Sunday lunch, never tried frozen roast spuds before, are they any good?

tigger Mon 02-Nov-15 12:16:35

I do a roastie most Sundays, but it is knackering and takes me most of Monday to recover.

Coolgran65 Sun 01-Nov-15 22:29:31

I do a roast dinner every Sunday. Very occasionally it's the two of us, usually 6, and often like today it was 8. It takes 2 large chickens, home made stuffing, boiled potatoes with cabbage wedges steamed on top. The cabbage is the finished in the oven with grated cheese on top. Some carrots and potatoes roasted in duck fat and drizzled with honey. Cheat with gravy. Followed by a trifle. Tea and shortbread.

When it's just the two of us I pare it down a little.

DH gets very disappointed if I suggest something other than a roast. But he does help with prep. Loads the dishwasher after, and does the pots etc.

Sillysue Sun 01-Nov-15 22:27:46

I love a roast dinner but now rely on my daughter or daughter in law to cook them!,they both do a lovely roast, and as I live on my own now cooking a roast for one is pointless plus I genuinely seem to have forgotten how to cookwink

LullyDully Sun 01-Nov-15 22:19:38

There is something so comforting about a roast. The GCh love it. My son cooks a good roast and so does DH so I leave it to them these days.

Son does wonderful roast veg and home made gravy. GS would lick the pattern off the plate if he could. He is 8 and finishes the meal with his famous Apple crumble. We like Sunday's.

whitewave Sun 01-Nov-15 21:25:36

Today we had a couple of stuffed chickens, carrots, broccoli, French beans and peas, proper done in the tin gravy and sticky toffee pudding and custard or fruit compote and ice cream. BUT I only do that once or twice a year. At DDs for Christmas dinner.

loopylou Sun 01-Nov-15 20:40:04

Any shortcuts are welcome!
I pot cooked a chicken last week and it was the most succulent chicken I've ever eaten. Dead simple, just chop onions and carrots, put in bottom of a casserole dish that can be used on the hob. Put whole chicken on top of veg, add 1.5 litres chicken stock, put lid on and simmer for an hour and a half, or until the meat's falling off the bones.

Certainly going to be a repeated recipe here - I got 4 meals for the two of us from one chicken, plus I froze the unused stock for next time.

annsixty Sun 01-Nov-15 20:34:54

I still do a roast dinner every week just for we two. I am of the generation that thought that was what Sunday was about, The only difference being we have it in the evening instead of lunchtime, then it seemed to take all afternoon to clear away and tidy up. Now it is load the dishwasher and wipe the oven out and job done.

jinglbellsfrocks Sun 01-Nov-15 20:29:43

Nothing wrong with any of that lefthanded. Good on yer.

Yes. I do broccoli in the microwave.

lefthanded Sun 01-Nov-15 20:26:48

Over the last few years, as my wife's condition has deteriorated, I have had to take on more of the household jobs, and cooking is one of them. It's been a steep learning curve. I have never had any instruction, it certainly was not offered when I was in school - at the school I went to the girls took cookery while the boys had a choice of woodwork or additional sports (I chose the woodwork).

I can do a roast dinner, but I would be the first to admit that I take a lot of short-cuts. I buy chicken breasts or turkey breast steaks or pork chops. Aunt Bessie's Roast Potatoes, Sainsbury's prepared carrot batons, fresh broccolli (it goes in the microwave) and Bisto Best gravy granules.

Perhaps not the best diet, but we both seem to be thriving smile

jinglbellsfrocks Sun 01-Nov-15 20:24:31

Ooh, I'm going to try that rq! Sounds alright.

rosequartz Sun 01-Nov-15 20:19:54

I cook a roast most Sundays.
Today I threw all the veg into a roasting tin with a little oil then plonked a chicken on top - similar to a picture I saw someone posted on FB - plus broccoli.
Cheated with the gravy - stock cube, cornflour and some gravy browning wink

Ana Sun 01-Nov-15 19:56:10

Goodness, you made hard work for yourself there, Greyduster...confused

Greyduster Sun 01-Nov-15 19:53:15

I cook a roast about every other weekend; can't say I really enjoy the cooking these days but it's worth it because everyone seems to enjoy it. This weekend, by way of a change, I made curry - have to make two as DD is veggie - and GS doesn't eat curry so had to do steak, pasta and veg for him! Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time! Which way is the nearest carvery??

merlotgran Sun 01-Nov-15 19:27:36

We usually have a roast even though it's often just the two of us. I enjoy cooking it and DH does all the veg prep.

It's the one day of the week when we break the low carb rule and have a roast potato each.

Pudding was baked Russet apples with Greek yoghurt and a drizzle of honey.

kittylester Sun 01-Nov-15 19:20:17

We have one most weeks! I find a roast a really easy meal to cook! And cold meat with Lyonnaise potatoes and pickles is a really effortless and tasty meal!

KatyK Sun 01-Nov-15 18:34:32

I've cooked on today for the first time in months. I rarely cook them now but DH was having withdrawal symptoms so I made the effort. It was nice but the kitchen was like a bomb site. I think I am out of practice. I wondered where you were Nonu

tanith Sun 01-Nov-15 18:29:03

We have roasts more often in the Winter probably once or twice a month even if its just the two of us.. love them but can't be doing with the faff too often nowadays. I used to do them much more often.
Our kids and grands have decided they all want to come here for Christmas day (complicated breakup involved) goodness know how we are going seat 10+ in our house it was ok when they were children but now they are all great big adults with partners.. they'll all help but still someone will be eating on their laps I think.

Pittcity Sun 01-Nov-15 18:22:44

I managed to work the timer on my oven to have roast pork and potatoes ready when we walked in the door. Cheated by heating ready made Yorkshires, microwave veg and gravy granules. Went down a treat after time spent out in the fog.

loopylou Sun 01-Nov-15 18:15:46

I love cooking roast dinner whether for us or a crowd, but today we went to the pub.
I'm cooking the full works for 15 in a couple of weeks (I must be mad hmm), and am really looking forward to it. Seating everyone will be a bigger challenge than the cooking.....

jinglbellsfrocks Sun 01-Nov-15 18:01:41

I don't think I've cooked one for a while now. Usually manage to shift it onto one of the DDs. It's knackering.