Cooking a large dinner party this weekend, thoughts on menu..??

iv-tecman

iv-tecman

iv-tecman

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Having a dinner party this weekend, and I’m cooking… Yikes.!! lol well I’ve got a large leg of boneless lamb and I was thinking of making a thyme with garlic roast with roast potatoes with a selection of steamed veg.

I was going to prepare a mix of –

Peppercorn
Garlic
Olive oil
Chopped fresh thyme

In a herb boil and apply over the meat, to season and cut slats into the meat and hand stuff fresh thyme into the slits…

Roast with fresh potatoes in oil, adding the potatoes after the meat has had its cooking time (well nearly) leaving it in the roasting tin with the potatoes for half hour, to baste the potatoes in the meat juices. Once meat cooked, remove and leave potatoes in roasting tin and shake to make the edges bash around and cook on high heat to crisp….

Being severed with a selection of stem broccoli and minted peas and carrots, and I’m thinking of making a gravy sauce…. I’m not that good at making fresh gravy so was going to use granules. I was planning on using the remaining meat juices in the gravy and then adding the gravy mix to a frying pan full of chopped red onions and adding mint sauce to make an onion and mint gravy?

Would this make a nice roast?

Starter is going to be a classic tomato and basil soup, with ciabatta bread and garlic oil making the oil a few days before with garlic cloves and olive oil. I’ll drizzle the oil on the bread once its been lightly toasted in the oven and serve with the soup with basil leaves on top.

I’m fairly sure this’ll make a nice meal that even the most picky (and some of my friends are dam picky eaters) eater will enjoy…

Thoughts, as I’m cooking for quite a few, so it needs to be simple but be worthy of a classic dinner party…

Was going to serve the whole dish with bottles of red wine, and dessert haven’t thought about yet..!!

Anyhow, there are a lot of good cooks on here, so again might as well see what some of you think..

Thanks..
 
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Personally, I think the mint gravy may overpower the other flavours. I love it, but not everyone does. I would make a gravy with granules, meat stock and add some wine. I would ditch the onions too, onion gravy works better with sausages than lamb. I would perhaps just go with a more traditional gravy and offer mint sauce instead. That aside, sounds nice, what time do you want me round, lol :)
 
Burnsy2023 said:
:eek::eek::eek::eek:

BURN THE HERETIC!!!
Click to expand...

Burning is to nice...

Boil the spuds for as long as you can then add to the hot fat and cook for about 45minutes.

Gravy is so easy.

Underneath the meat. Do some chuncky cut. Onions, celery, carrots and some whole cloves of garlic.
Once meat is taken out, remove some of the fat if needed and mash the veg up. throw in 2 tablespoons of flour and stir in, whilst heating on teh hob. Then gradually add a litre of beef or lamb stock (if needed buy he plasict container stock from a supermarket). Bring to he simmer fora few minutes to cook the flour. then siv.

Oh and don't forget the roast butternut squash and parsnips.
 
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Yeah going to ditch the gravy idea, instead going to try and make my own gravy as I've pulled a recipe of a cooking site so I'll give it a go before the weekend party.. lol

I’ll put the mint sauce on the side and they can add it to the gravy themselves…. As I said, I want to keep it simple. Going to make my soup Friday eve and put it in the fridge. I’ll make it with tinned tomatoes, with chopped onion, a bit of garlic some red pepper and add some fresh cream, add fine chopped basil and I can reheat the next day….

Should be good, everyone likes Lamb, and the cut I’ve got will feed all of us. Should do as it cost me, well my gf got me it from a well known warehouse outlet, £30..!! ouch lol but its going to be worth it.
 
Boil the spuds? So I can boil them and then roast them afterwards? I like crispy roast spuds, and I normally add them to hot meat fat and then toss the pan around to allow the edges to break and crisp up in a high heat..
 
iv-tecman said:
Boil the spuds? So I can boil them and then roast them afterwards? I like crispy roast spuds, and I normally add them to hot meat fat and then toss the pan around to allow the edges to break and crisp up in a high heat..
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yep boil them, add to hot fat and either bash or gently turn, depending how soft they are. best way is to boil till hey are basically breaking up. Then adding hem to the fat and spoon the fat over. But it's hard judging he times. But at least part boil them first.

God you made me hungry, Might have to do a roast tonight darn you :(
 
yeah, boil for about 7 mins. Drain and let steam dry. Then put the lid back on the saucepan and shake them about inside quite hard, which roughs up the edges. Then into the hot fat!
 
to make your soup i would do this...

1-1.25kg ripe tomatoes

1 medium onion

1 small carrot

1 celery stick

2 tbsp olive oil

a good pinch of sugar

2 bay leaves

2 squirts of tomato purée (about 2 tsp)

1.2l hot vegetable stock (made with boiling water and 4 rounded tsp bouillon powder or 2 stock cubes)
 
AcidHell2 said:
yep boil them, add to hot fat and either bash or gently turn, depending how soft they are. best way is to boil till hey are basically breaking up. Then adding hem to the fat and spoon the fat over. But it's hard judging he times. But at least part boil them first.
Click to expand...

I find it better partially boiling the spuds (say for 20 minutes) and then draining them through a seive. A quick shake in the seive will fluff your spuds (not often you hear that) and you can then put them into the hot fat, either turning with tongs you make sure all sides are oily, or spooning the fat over, as you say.
 
Thanks all…

Going to try making the gravy tonight as I’m making pie and chips for tea, so I’ll have a go. So that’s sorted. I’ll not add mint sauce I’ll make it separate.

As for the soup, I’ll use fresh tomatoes, and use puree instead as I did consider this. Just being lazy, still going to add red pepper, just gives it a bit of kick but not over powering. I’ll add carrot as well. I’ll grate the carrot and finally chop onion and red pepper. Add black pepper – not too much and sprinkle with basil leaves when serving.

Roast Potatoes I’ll boil for 20 mins and then toss in the pan and then add to hot fat to crisp. And I’ll make veg whilst the roast potatoes crisp up and letting the meat reseal. I’m hoping to get the meat just right, and hopefully it should be juicy and succulent if done correctly. Fingers crossed.

And no, just no.. Dominos and McDonalds isn’t an option, firstly my gf would kill me. Secondly McDonalds has never tasted nice, and thirdly hardly going to impress with a big mac and chips, or a meat feast pizza..!! lol
 
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