A ROAST DINNER

Te Ao Hou, September 1955, Page 61

A ROAST DINNER By BETTY M. JOHNSTON Field Officer in Rural Sociology Department of Agriculture Wellington One of the most appetising smells known is that of a good roast dinner. All the cook needs to produce such a dinner is a stove with a good oven, a baking dish large enough to hold the meat to be roasted and another to hold potatoes, kumaras, pumpkins or parsnips. For cooking the green vegetables that should be served with every dinner a saucepan with a flat bottom and a wellfitting lid is required. First plan the dinner. Then buy what is necessary and have all the meat and vegetables washed, peeled and ready for cooking in goot time. Do not prepare the vegetables until just before they are to be cooked or some of their valuable minerals and vitamins will be destroyed. The suggested dinner is: Roast shoulder of mutton Roast potatoes, kumaras, and pumpkin Silverbeet Gravy Baked apples and custard or cream The size of the shoulder will depend on the size of the family to be fed. Home killed meat is usually the best choice, and first grade wether, hogget or lamb should be chosen. Other joints suitable for roasting are the shoulder or the loin. Begin heating the oven. Put some clean mutton or beef dripping in the roasting pan (it should be about ¼ in. deep when all the fat has melted), and place the meat which has been lightly floured in the dish. Season with salt and pepper. Some people prefer to stand the meat on a low wire rack and spoon the hot fat over the meat from time to time as it is cooking. When the temperature is 300°F (low to medium heat) place the pan in the oven. From 25 to 30 mins. should be allowed for each pound of the joint, so a five pound shoulder would take 2 ½ hours to cook. If there is enough room in the pan the potatoes and kumaras should be dropped carefully into the hot fat an hour before the meat is due to be served. It may be necessary to use another pan if the joint is a large one.