Hello, dedicated readers!

If you read my blog on the regs, you’ll notice this one is a wee bit late. I’ve had a bit of a shit storm of a week so better late than never, RIGHT?!

In honour of the the newly named British research vessel, The RRS Boaty McBoatface, I have named my blog accordingly. I made a little roast and it was a goddamn delight. Roasts are often seen as a big Sunday dinner and a lot of work but I whipped this up on a monday in no time. I was making roast for 2, which is obviously easier than making roast for a group. So treat yourself and a loved one to this. Tell your kids to make a sandwich. 😉

I started with a one pound (it was actually 1.13 pounds) top sirloin roast. 1 pound roasts cook quickly so you don’t feel like you’ve been mucking around in the kitchen all day. I accompanied my meat with carrots, onions and garlic roasted cauliflower mash. Mmmm.

Let’s start with the roast, shall we?

Heat your oven to 350. Cut up 2 carrots and slice half an onion. Place at the bottom of an oven safe dish. I used corning ware. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil, salt, pepper and dried or fresh rosemary. Plop the roast on top and rub it with a generous amount of grainy horseradish dijon mustard. Toss it in the oven and let it go for 50 minutes. 50 minutes should be enough if your roast is only one pound. Mine was slightly over so I cooked it for an hour and it came out nice and medium rare. Place the roast on a cutting board and cover in foil to rest.

*Also, before anyone gets their balls in a knot, this isn’t the only way to cook a roast. I’m sure you have a way you like to do it. Maybe you like to sear it first. Maybe you put it on a roasting rack. Maybe you scream at it like it’s your ex-wife until your hot breath cooks it to a nice medium rare. Good for you. In the interest of saving time, this was my method.*

Anyway, when you put the roast in, you’ll also want to put in your garlic. Cut a little bit of the top off a whole bud of garlic, drizzle with oil and wrap tightly in tin foil. Let it roast for 40 minutes and then open the foil and let it cool while the roast finished cooking and resting.

Now for the carrots and onions. Strain any liquid out into a small saucepan. You’ll use that to make the gravy. Put the veg back in the roast pan and back in the oven. Jack up the heat to 400 and let it cook more while the roast is resting. You think that carrots would be done after an hour in the oven but you’d be surprised! This gives them much better flavour too.

While the roast is resting and the veg is cooking ,steam about 2 cups of cauliflower florets until tender. Drain. Add a pad of butter and all that roasted garlic. It should just pop out of the garlic skin when you squeeze it. Salt, pepper and mash like you would potatoes.

Finally, the gravy. Add about 1/2 a cup of beef stock to you roast jus. Because it’s such a small, lean roast it doesn’t make a lot of natural gravy. Bring to boil and if you want, thicken it with cornstarch or flour. (I used about 1/2 tbsp flour dissolved in 2 tbsp’s of water). I also added a splash of brandy but you could do red wine or some other kind of booze. Let simmer on low until thick.

Slice up your roast and plate it up, finishing with a generous amount of the gravy. BOOM! A fun little roast McRoastface dinner in just over an hour. The horseradish dijon gives a burst of heat and mega flavour. The roasted onions and carrots add sweetness and the cauliflower mash is rich and garlicky without being overwhelming. I had never put brandy in my gravy, but now I want to do it always. This wasn’t a traditional gravy, but I’m not a traditional gal.

AND THAT’S THE ROAST BLOG, FOLKS! We did it! Thanks for eating with me. Go make a little tiny roast and eat it all and then snuggle up and watch Frasier. You’ll have the best night.

Love,

Julia