Cooking a roast dinner

I don't always use the end of the tin so I buy the cheapest possible in case I have to throw it away. I use loads of cling film before I put them in the fridge. I have bought the jars but they take even longer to use in my experience.

But then we established on another thread that I am profligate and have more money than sense!!

Kitty regarding left over anchovies in the little peel-back tins - I find them fiddly and leaky and so now buy a jar from Waitrose:

Jar

Works out a bit more expensive but so worth it - when the anchovies have finished I continue to use the infused olive oil to fry eggs

I think anchovies add a sort of deep saltiness.

Daft question, what exactly do the anchovies add to the dish ?
I've seen Sainsbury's adds in the press saying add them to your shepherd's pie, why

I always add some anchovies when roasting lamb, I love them on pizzas too.

Thanks kitty that will be sure to impress.

Ann, there is a great Nigella lamb steak recipe that uses some anchovies melted into the sauce which is made with pink martini. Of course, no recipe ever uses the whole tin so I sometimes have half a tin covered in cling film lurking at the back of the fridge. I put them into casseroles, mince things, gravy etc so they are not wasted. The trick with anchovies is not to tell anyone that they are in whatever they are eating or, all of a sudden, the dish is too salty and/or very fishy!

I'm a huge fan of Nigella cook books and have requested the new one for Christmas despite saying that I can't cope with any more cookery books.

Leg of lamb here also with roast pots and parsnips and creamed leeks, carrots and no pudding. I cannot express enough how impressed I am by the fact that kitty may have a couple of anchovies left in the fridge. Now that is posh.I have never bought an anchovy (and would be stumped as to know what to do with one)

We are having leg of lamb (it was half price due to sell by date in local co-op). It will be an easy meal for me as DH is cooking! More washing up though as he always uses every implement in the kitchrn.

Today I have 6 chicken breasts about to go into the oven in a roastabag with some herbs.
Baby boiled potatoes, mashed carrot and parsnip. Cabbage already steamed, added a little butter and will pop it in the oven as t minute topped with grated cheese.
Made sticky toffee pudding yesterday and will serve it with custard.

Just four of us today, two guests. We usually have 8.

I use a roasting tin with a lid. Stops the grease splashes in the oven and roasts just as well - you don't even have to take the lid off to brown it (unless you want really crispy skin or crackling).

GK, Butternut Squash with Ginger

Peel, deseed and cut into 3cm chunks. Place on baking sheet and sprinkle with a little salt.

Gently heat some olive oil, or butter, add 3 tsps minced ginger, fresh or from a jar (guess which I use?) and 4 tbsp maple syrup. Pour over the butternut squash and roast until cooked to taste and with the tips singeing.

The recipe says scatter pine nuts over the top but I never do that.

I often do 2 so I have loads left to make gingered butternut squash soup!

I like the sound of parsnip with nutmeg!!

Loopylou - I do that too.
The only roast meal I make is chicken, but cut in pieces. I make stuffing with breadcrumbs lemon and thyme and apple and onion etc, and roll it into balls and roast next to the chicken.
But I cover all with foil, just take the foil off for the last 10 minutes or so to crisp up the skin. There's always some juices to make into gravy.
Too many memories of burnt on fat in my Mum's oven from open roasting.

I've got a bit of beef in the oven top shelf , a lamb casserole in the bottom and will bung the potatoes/parsnips in in a minute and a syrup sponge pudding in on the bottom shelf in half an hour.
I'm really trying to make better use of the oven being on.

If you slosh in some water or stock or wine jingl it isn't greasy, and any fat separates out easily once it's cooked.

I am actually in the middle of cooking a (late) roast dinner now. So I will buzz off.

I could get four meals from one chicken - just the two of us. I think I did, in fact. Last week. Large M & S chicken. Cooked it sitting on top of a load of veg, as someone posted on GN. Rosequarz I think. Tasted nice but it made the veg and the gravy a bit greasy.

Righto. Took it wrong. Soz. x

, No, there certainly isn't anything wrong with letting others cook it. I love a good pub lunch. Never said there was.

I wasn't trying to teach anyone, I wouldn't be that presumptuous.
Just stating that I do it the simple way therefore I don't find it knackering. Be even better if someone else did it

Having cooked a roast dinner every Sunday for close on fifty years now, I can't see anything wrong with letting others do it occasionally now. Or even going out to one of the excellent pubs we have in our area.

So don't teach me to suck eggs ninathenana. I've probably cooked a few more than you. (Only just seen your post)

In spite of my age and not being able to stand for long I still like cooking and eating. I stuff a couple of boned chicken thighs joints with home made stuffing, wrap in streaky bacon and bake in a pie dish in my mini oven. Roast par boiled potatoes in another pie dish. Steam broccoli and carrots on hob. Gravy is made from chicken granules.

Today I am doing a roast in the bag duck, (never done one before). With the duck I am doing roast potatoes, spring greens, asparagus and carrots, with mashed potatoes as well. I make my own gravy from the meat juices. I might even make a lemon pudding although DS isn't much of a pudding fan.

Yes, still a roast here on a Sunday, even when it's just the two of us, slight variation today, gammon in the slow cooker, remainder will be made into pea and ham soup

kitty I agree.

We're soon entertaining some friends to a roast, and I'm going to do the butternut you describe, it sounds delicious. Do you cut the ginger in slivers?

We ate out recently and I had parsnips seasoned with nutmeg, divine.

I think a roast is one of the easiest meals to prepare, especially if you cheat a bit with the veg. We often have roasts - stick the meat in the oven and.more or less forget about it for an hour or so. I often do red cabbage with apple in my slow cooker as a side veg, roast potatoes are a doddle and then a green and a yellow veg and voila.

I like the sound of the cabbage finished with cheese, will try that.

I'm not keen on mass produced pub roasts unless you go to a good one they are often "catering roasts" and the poor quality is disguised with lots of gravy. Yuk.