Crispy Oven Roasted Potatoes - English Style

I found out a few years ago that there was more than one way to do oven roasted potatoes.  I was doing a little research to replicate a traditional English Sunday Supper and found my great-grandma's version of potatoes.  For years I wondered why my mom's roasted potatoes (which are incredibly delicious) were different than my great-grandma/great-aunts, that were always so crispy on the outside.   So here, to go along with the Christmas Dinner theme (yeah - its a week past Christmas, I know) is the secret!

8 large russet potatoes, peeled and quartered.  (For this version, russet/Idaho potatoes really work the best).
vegetable oil, lard, olive oil or any fat with a high smoking point. 
Optional - herbs for seasoning oil/potatoes - rosemary, thyme, garlic, chopped onion
Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

First, par boil the potatoes in generously salted water for about 5-10 minutes, only until the outside edges are cooked.  Drain potatoes in a collander.  Then shake the collander to roughen up the edges of the potatoes.  This helps the potatoe absorb the oil and crispen then up!

Put about 1/2 inch of fat into a roasting pan.  The pan needs to be large enough to hold the potatoes in one layer!  This is essential!  Add 1/2 inch of fat into the pan and any herbs you wish to flavor with.  Place the pan into the oven and heat to smoking.   Remove pan from oven and add potatoes, tossing a bit to coat the potatoes.  Place back into the oven and roast for about 30-45 minutes.  Check the potatoes midway and turn the potatoes to crisp the other sides.  Remove when pierced with fork and tender, crisp on all sides.  Salt and pepper to taste.   The potatoes can sit for up to 15 minutes and stay crips, before they start to soften.  

Yorkshire Pudding

Today - Recipe for Yorkshire Pudding to accompany the Standing Rib Roast below.   

All I can suggest is dont be afraid.  Its really quite easy and just dont open the oven door, or you'll have a flat pudding!!   None of these holiday recipes are fat-free, low-fat, and they never would make the cover of Healthy Eating, but that's what the Holidays are for!  Eat healthy all year long and enjoy a few weeks of some good home cooking!

Yorkshire Pudding

I cup of flour
1 Cup of whole milk
Pinch of salt
3 eggs
----------------------
Hot fat from standing rib roast

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Mix the batter ingredients (everything but the hot fat). Let rest for 10 minutes.

You can make these in the same roasting pan that you cooked the rib roast in. Make sure there is at least 1/2 inch of hot fat in the pan. Add extra oil if necessary and make sure the pan is hot. You can place it back in the oven to heat it up. Instead of the roasting pan and one large pudding, you can use medium muffin tins. Make sure again, that the pan is hot and there is about 1/2 inch of oil in each muffin tin. Pour the mix into the pan. Place the pan into the oven and cook about 15-20 minutes. DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR! You want the pudding to rise as high as possible. Make sure your oven light is on, so you can check on doneness. They will be risen above the pan and golden brown. When done, remove from the oven and serve immediately!


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Christmas Dinner 2009

This year for Christmas dinner, we are having a traditional English Christmas fare, standing rib roast, Yorkshire pudding, crispy oven roasted potatoes, gravy, roasted brussel sprouts, asparagus, figgy pudding with vanilla sauce and some banana cream pie just because. It took me forever to find a figgy pudding recipe that actually sounded delicious, so I do not know how "authentic" it is, but what the heck.


For years I have done something different on Christmas. I am so beyond turkey by Christmas day and I love lamb and ham in the spring. This year we have had guests during the month of December, but I am really beyond ham at this point. I have made a goose, a duck, and Cornish hens in previous years and all were good.

The Standing Rib roast tradition actually comes from my mother (again, I know..) and it was done on Christmas eve, when my family really celebrated Christmas. My dad made his career as a professional musician and getting up early was never something that was going to happen, so we always went to visit grandma, came home to a wonderful beef dinner and open presents that Santa had left while we were traversing the Wisconsin country side.

I honored the Christmas eve beef tradition for a few years, but this year decided that our Christmas eve was going to be just family and simple. Save the meal for Christmas day when I was not going to go anywhere or do anything, anyway!

It will be a quiet Christmas day, just the family and some good friends visiting. A good day for some games, puzzles, movies, and friends.

Here is the menu. I wont put up the Figgy Pudding recipe yet, cause, well, I haven’t tried it, made my changes and tasted it.

Standing Rib Roast

The key to cooking a standing rib roast is the cut of meat you purchase. I like mine bone-in, for obvious reasons. Typically the number of ribs in the roast x2 is the number of people it will feed, for example:

Six people - 3 rib roast

Eight people - 4 rib roast

Ten people - 5 rib roast

More flavor comes off the bone. You pay for the bones, but it is really worth it.

Make sure that the roast becomes room temperature before you begin cooking. I break down a head of garlic, then make slits in and throughout the roast, stuffing a clove of garlic into each slit. Do not overdo it! Use is wisely and sparingly. There are just as many thoughts about how to season the roast as well. I prefer a coat the roast with a little olive oil, then sprinkle fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, basil) and salt and pepper. Sometimes I will just do salt and a layer of freshly cracked pepper. Its all personal.

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F. I recommend that for a standing rib roast, you get yourself a good digital meat thermometer. Place in the center most portion of the roast. Place the roast, fat side up, ribs down, in a heavy roasting pain (prefer stainless steel). Sear the roast at this temperature for 15 minutes. Then turn the oven down to 325 degrees F.

Begin to check for doneness about 1/2 hour before estimated cooking time. Remember, the roast will continue to cook once you take it out of the oven, about 5 degrees more. So gauge your time accordingly.

Rare 120-125 degrees

Medium rare 130-135

Medium 140-145

Medium well 150-155

Well 160

2 ribs (4-5 pounds) 60 to 70 minutes

3 ribs (7-8.5 pounds) 1.5 to 1.75 hours

4 ribs (9-10.5 pounds) 1.75 to 2.25 hours

5 ribs (11-13.5 pounds) 2.25 to 2.75 hours

6 ribs (14-16 pounds) 3 to 3.25 hours

7 ribs (16-18.5 pounds) 3.25 to 4 hours

Remove the roast from the oven on desired doneness. (KEEP THE FAT AND JUICES FOR YORKSHIRE PUDDING AND GRAVY). Cover with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 15-20 minutes (Remember, the temperature of the meat will rise, while it is resting).

When carving a standing rib roast, bone in, as a suggestion, make sure your knife is very sharp! Also, use the bones and a guide for your cut. You will be able to get two pieces of meat for every bone.

ENJOY!   Tomorrow : Yorkshire Pudding and Crispy Oven Roasted Potatoes!

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Corn Souffle/Casserole/Pudding - just yummy corn goodness!

This is not an old family recipe, but a new family recipe and a new tradition.  I was looking for corn souffle/pudding/casserole recipes and I just couldnt find one that I was looking for - that had the flavor combination I wanted.  I wanted to combine a fried corn (I know pork fat) with the light and creamyness of a custard/souffle, yet I didnt want to beat egg whites.  I also do not have the patience for a true souffle.  Its not practical most of the time.  So I took all of the recipes I found and then melded them together and came up with this.   It is totally awesome and of course, not very "healthy".  I will play with a healthy version of this recipe later - or if you do, post a comment and let me know

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb thick sliced hickory smoked peppered bacon

• 2- 10 oz. pack of frozen corn

• 1/2 cup onion (chopped fine)

• 1 cup green and red bell peppers (chopped)

• 4 TBS butter

• 4 TBS plain flour

• 2 tsp salt

• 1 tsp paprika

• 1/2 tsp mustard powder

• 1/4 tsp black pepper (to taste)

• 1-1/2 cups whole milk (1/2 and 1/2 if you want more souffle consistency).

• 2 egg slightly beaten.

• 1 cup Ritz/Club (buttery)cracker crumbs

• 3 TBS butter

DIRECTIONS: 

1. Chop up bacon and fry to crisp in skillet.

2. Remove bacon and drain on paper towel.

3. Fry corn in bacon fat, until lightly tender.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees while mixing up casserole.

5. Put 4 TBS butter in skillet and melt. Stir in onion and bell peppers and cook until soft.

6. Mix flour with seasonings.

7. Add to skillet and cook until brown and bubbly.

8. Slowly add milk (1/2 and 1/2) while stirring. Continue stirring until the mixture bubbles and is thick.

9. Remove mixture from heat and stir in corn and egg.

10. Put the corn mixture in a 2-3 quart lightly greased baking pan or casserole dish.

11. Melt 1 TBS butter and blend with cracker crumbs in a small bowl.

12. Sprinkle the cracker mixture on top of the corn casserole.

13. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees F or until the crackers are lightly browned. You do not cover this casserole to bake, or the cracker topping will not be crisp and browned.

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