Cast Iron Cooking

I've been chalking up some nice kitchen equipment in the present department and this Christmas was no exception. A beautiful cast iron casserole dish is now part of the family, something I've wanted to get with a while. Today it got it's first trial run, in the guise of roast lamb and potatoes and today I tasted the BEST roast spuds to ever have passed my lips. Mother of God, I devoured them. There was nothing new to the cooking method, just the dish and it shows what a difference good quality kitchen ware can make.

As per the instructions, I preheated the dish while the oven was warming up, with a little oil and a spoon of goose fat.

While the equipment was heating up to Gas 7, I peeled and chopped my spuds and rubbed my 2lb lamb piece (don't ask me what part - rolled something or other) with olive oil, sea salt and fresh rosemary. When the oven was hot, I added the meat, potatoes and a head of garlic separated into cloves.

 I cooked it UNCOVERED (so the potatoes will crisp up) at Gas 7 for 20 minutes, reduced the heat to Gas 4 and cooked for 30 minutes more. Halfway through I turned the meat and jiggled the spuds around. I removed the meat at the end of this cooking time but left the spuds for 20 minutes more while the meat rested, wrapped in tin foil.

The meat was done to medium, very feint trace of pink, while the potatoes were incredibly crispy and coloured on the outside, but soft and moist on the inside.

I will NEVER roast potatoes in anything but my cast iron dish ever again. Now excuse me while I have a sneaky round two...

Roasted Rosemary Leg of Lamb

So this was the centrepiece of our Christmas dinner today. We,be been shunning turkey and ham for a few years now. Last year was Beef Wellington with a chestnut, mushroom and streaky bacon filling and the year previous was pork tenderloin stuffed with apple, apricot, spinach and cheddar cheese. Like a lot of people, I was turned off turkey because I found the meat dry. I now know that successful ways of cooking this big bird include brining for twenty four hours beforehand or separating the joints so the legs can be cooked separate from the breast, the latter needing less cooking time. But I am still not persuaded to undergo either task.

My leg of lamb was a lovely four pounder. I think the accompanying strip of meat is the spare ribs which are fatty and delicious.

Before cooking the meat, I infused some olive oil with fresh rosemary and sea salt.

Which I rubbed into the meat prior to cooking

Pre heat the oven to Gas 6\200C\400F. Place a roasting tray with some goose fat on the bottom shelf (this is for the roast spuds you are obviously having).

When the oven is hot, place the meat straight onto the oven shelf above the roasting tin and fill the tin with your peeled spuds - the juices from the meat will drip down into the spuds - yum.

After 20 minutes, reduce the heat to Gas 4\180C\350F.  Cook for another 15 minutes per lb of meat.

The finished piece: