A great baked dinner

 

How satisfying it is to share an old-fashioned baked dinner with your family and friends. It’s a perfect way to celebrate a special occasion and Easter Day – or Easter Sunday – certainly is special.  The roasted meat, the golden baked vegetables … oh, I could go on. They create the festive mood like few other foods.

My daughter-in-law Michelle is brilliant with roasts, they come out perfect every time.  I’m less good at them and less confident, so I turned to Matthew Dwyer, Digital Marketing Program Manager at Meat & Livestock Australia for some expert advice. And he came up with the goods. You’ll see the experts’ tips he provided set out below.

Good news, there is also a LambRoast Smartphone App to help you get it right. Find it via the website www.beefandlamb.com.au

But before we get down to basics, I’d like to say a little thank you to Reuben & Moore at the food court in Westfield in Sydney’s CBD. My daughter Marisa, grand-daughter Fern (owner of Pussycat) and friend Anita ate there the other day. And of all the food court choices, I put mine as the yummiest. It’s a personal opinion, of course, but I chose Reuben & Moore’s baked ham and vegetables with a slurp of gravy. It was delicious! The old-fashioned baked dinner takes a lot of beating.

Matthew Dwyer of Meat & Livestock Australia also sent me a recipe for Persian Spiced Lamb Shoulder to share with you, plus a beautiful photo. You'll find them separately just above these tips.  And now, please read on for the expert tips to achieving the perfect roast. Happy eating.

Simple steps that are the basis for all roasts

Step 1 – Preheat the oven in line with the type of cut you are roasting (see our chart below), depending on the weight of the roast. Brush it lightly with oil. Season with salt, pepper and any flavourings.

Step 2 – Place the roast on a rack in a roasting dish. Raising the roast allows the heat to circulate, browning it evenly.

Step 3 – Different cuts require different cooking times per fixed weight (see our chart below). For ease and accuracy use a meat thermometer.

Step 4 – Remove roast when cooked to desired degree. Transfer to a plate, cover loosely with foil and rest for 10-20 minutes before carving. Carve the roast across the grain to ensure tenderness.

Roasting tips

Take the roast from the fridge about 15-20 minutes before cooking. This will take the chill out of the meat and allow it to cook more evenly. If you like rare or medium rare meat, and the roast is without a bone it’s a good idea to do this. Never stand meat in direct sunlight, standing the meat in a cool kitchen (covered) for a short period of time (no longer than 20 mins) before cooking is fine.

Use a roasting dish that is close to the size of the roast you are cooking. Place the roast on a rack in a roasting dish. Raising the roast allows it to brown evenly. Placing the roast on a bed of vegies (cut into sticks) or trimmed meat bones is another way to raise the roast. The exception is bone-in roasts like a standing rib roast; the natural arc of the bones raises the meat from the base of the roasting dish removing the need to raise it off the pan.

• Cook for the calculated time, baste the roast occasionally. Use the juices in the roasting dish to baste the roast as it cooks. Add a little stock to the dish if there’s only a small amount of pan juices. Or make a baste to give your roast extra flavour (see below).
• Check the temperature (or ‘doneness) about 10 minutes before the estimated cooking is up. Take larger roasts out of the oven just short of the goal, as the larger roasts and bone in roasts tend to cook further and go up just a little in temperature (and therefore, doneness) as they rest.
• Always allow the roast to rest before serving.  This gives the juices in the meat a chance to redistribute, giving a moister and more tender result. Transfer to a plate, cover loosely with foil and rest for 10-20 minutes before carving. 

Suggested roasting times Use these recommendations as a guide at the start of the cooking time. 

ROASTING CHART – times per 500g
BEEF
	Temp	Rare 60ºC	Medium 65-70ºC	Well Done 75ºC
Rib eye/scotch fillet, rump, sirloin, fillet/tenderloin, standing rib roast, rolled rib beef roast	200ºC	15 -20 min	20 -25 min	25 -30 min
Silverside (uncorned), blade, round, topside, eye round, oyster blade	160ºC	20 -25 min	25 -30 min	30 -35 min
LAMB
	Temp	Rare	Medium	Well Done
Eye of loin/backstrap, lamb round, topside roasts, mini roast, lamb rump	220ºC	15-20 mins	20-25 min	25-30 min
Rack of lamb, four rib roast, crown roast	200ºC	20-25 min	30-35 min	40-45 min
Loin (boned and rolled), Leg or shoulder (bone in), easy carve leg or shoulder	180ºC	20-25 min	25-30 min	30-35 min
VEAL
	Temp	Rare	Medium	Well Done
Fillet, rack, leg, loin/eye of loin, rump, shoulder, boned and rolled loin, breast	200ºC	15-20 min	20-25 min	25-30 min

Cooked to your liking… judge your roasts degree of doneness.
The internal temperature for:

• Rare 60ºC
• Medium rare 60-65ºC
• Medium 65-70ºC 
• Medium well done 70ºC 
• Well done 75ºC

Do I really need a meat thermometer?
There are lots of variables involved when roasting meats and judging to see it it’s ready or not. Variables like the cut, size, shape and thickness of the meat. To take out all of the guesswork use a meat thermometer. It’s the easiest and most accurate way to tell if it’s ready.

Inexpensive leave-in style thermometers are available from kitchenware shops, supermarkets and selected butcher stores. Place the thermometer in the roast before cooking. Insert it into the middle of the thickest part of the roast away from any bone.

You can also use tongs to test the roast’s doneness.
Gently prod or squeeze the roast – rare is very soft, medium rare is soft, medium is springy but soft, medium well is firm and well done is very firm. For more information on testing doneness using tongs or your fingertips go to How to tell when meat is ready or 'done'.

- See more at: http://www.beefandlamb.com.au/Learn/Cooking_tips/Roasting/How_to_roast#sthash.2QxsgqLb.dpuf