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Ask any random group of red-blooded American men to define the cornerstone of civilization, and you will get a common answer. What would induce any rational male to rise at dawn five days a week, put on a stiffly starched shirt, encase his neck in a noose of silk and then get in the car to spend 90 minutes in fits and starts to go 30 miles down the road? Why would this man take on a thirty-year mortgage, raise a pack of ungrateful spike-haired brats and spend his tax refund on orthodontia instead of a trip to Bali? There is only one inducement that would make it all worthwhile: mashed potatoes and gravy!
We mean real russet potatoes whipped with milk and butter. We’re talking about a slab of perfectly cooked meat and a steaming bowl of gravy and plenty on the platter for seconds.
To achieve this perfection, it is absolutely essential to own a good meat thermometer. My favorite is by Taylor and is a stainless steel encased mercury column with a flat metal disc read out and a pointed end. Ignore the readings on the dial. They are much too high and will produce an overdone and dry roast. Also useful is a heavy roasting pan that is sturdy enough to set on a burner to make the gravy. La Creuset does a fine job in the oven and over a burner, but if I didn’t have one, I’d just use a heavy ovenproof skillet. A heavy-duty stand mixer like a Kitchenaid makes fine mashed potatoes very easily.
Sue Kleber
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Prime Rib Roast
The most luxurious cut of beef roast is the rib eye, commonly called prime rib. I prefer to leave the bone in and roast it slowly. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and dust the roast liberally with garlic salt and ground pepper. Insert the meat thermometer into the center of the meat. Put the roast in that heavy pan and put it in the oven for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees and roast until the thermometer registers between 115 for rare and 120 degrees for medium rare. Remove the roast to a carving board and cover with aluminum foil. Allow the meat to rest while you make the gravy.
Beef Gravy
Pour off all the fat except for about 3 tablespoons. Add 3 TB of all-purpose flour and make a paste. Sauté the roux slowly for 3 to 4 minutes. Add a 14 oz can of beef broth and stir to smooth, scraping up all the brown bits left in the pan. For a darker color, add 1 to 2 tsp of Gravy Master or Kitchen Bouquet. Correct for salt and pepper. Thin with water, if necessary.
Roast Leg of Lamb
A 4- to 5- pound semi-boneless leg of lamb will still have the femur bone and the shank bone will have been removed. Tie the lamb leg 4 or 5 times around with kitchen twine, season liberally with garlic salt, insert the meat thermometer and put the meat in a heavy roaster. Add 4 to 5 large fresh twigs of rosemary and put into a 450 degree preheated oven. Roast for 20 minutes and turn down the temperature to 350 degrees. Roast until the meat thermometer reads 145 degrees for medium pink or 150 degrees for medium, but still juicy.
Lamb Gravy
Pour off all but 3 tablespoons of the drippings and remove the rosemary. Add 3 TB of flour and sauté the roux for 3 or 4 minutes. Finely mince the roasted rosemary until you have about half a tablespoon and add to the pan. Add 2 14 ounce cans of low salt chicken broth and stir to smooth. Enrich the color with Kitchen Bouquet or Gravy Master and correct for salt and pepper.
Mashed Potatoes
There is only one trick to perfect mashed potatoes and that is to drain the potatoes, after they are tender and return them to the saucepan and heat over low heat until the potatoes are mealy and dry. Put the potatoes into the bowl of a heavy mixer and add as much butter as your conscience will allow and about a cup of whole milk. Mix until smooth and add additional milk until they are of desired consistency. Allow about one and a half peeled potatoes per person.
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