** Happy Heavenly Birthday, Mom! Who would’ve been a 105 today **
I enjoy cooking various dishes, but a family meal that truly heightens my senses is the one mentioned above, with full prep details below. It hits all the comfort food marks of a home-cooked meal.
Prepare the roast, letting it get to room temperature. Slice a nice-sized garlic clove into tooth-sized pieces. Punch holes, staggering across the roast about an inch apart. Plug pieces of the garlic into each hole. Make a rub of Coarse salt, ground pepper, Rosemary, and thyme (onion or onion powder or other preferred spices are optional depending on taste). Generously apply all over the roast. DO NOT remove the fat layer, as it makes for a tender piece of meat and gravy for serving. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and cook to your preference (20 minutes medium rare/25 minutes medium/ 30 minutes well done, but I don’t know anyone who, in cooking terms, likes it overdone. Let the Roast rest for at least 15-20 minutes on a cutting board. Prep sliced button mushrooms to add into the gravy. See below.
Gravy: In the same pan that the roast was cooked, place it on the stove over medium heat (do not scrape or remove the juice, blood, bits, and pieces stuck to the pan). Add blood/juices from the sliced roast to the pan from the cutting board. Then add 4 pats of butter. In a measuring cup, to 1 cup of water, add two tablespoons of cornstarch, and stir well until no lumps remain, then pour it into the pan. Add sliced mushrooms, and as it cooks, make sure to scrape up all the loose and cooked-on bits from the bottom and sides of the pan. The gravy will thicken quickly, so do not leave it unattended. Once the water cooks off, the gravy will be ready to pour into your gravy boat for serving.
While the roast is cooking and resting, prepare both the potatoes and green beans (see the instructions below). Once the Roast is removed from the oven to rest, put the Impossible Pie in the oven at the same temperature. 350 degrees. (See below cooking instructions
Potatoes: Fill a large pot with salted water and bring it to a boil while you pare the potatoes. Peel and slice the potatoes into 1-inch pieces. If desired, add 3-4 sliced garlic cloves to the water. Once the water reaches a boil again, reduce the heat to medium and cook the potatoes until they are soft and, in cooking terms, fork-tender. Using a mixer or hand masher, mash potatoes. Add one 1/2 to a whole stick of butter (margarine), mash, and then slowly add milk until the mixture is smooth but holds the spoon or retains texture about 1/4 to 1/2 cup.
Green Beans: Trim and ready beans, and in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat, add olive oil and two pats of butter until the butter starts to brown. Slice a sweet or yellow onion into thin slices and caramelize in the pan over medium heat (optional). Add green beans, and as they start to soften, lightly browning, add a 1/4 cup of slivered almonds (also optional) until the oils in the almonds caramelize. A healthy version of the above is in boiled and salted water. Quickly blanch beans for about 5 minutes, then cool down quickly in an ice water bath to retain their bright green color.
Impossible Pie: In a mixing bowl: 2 cups of milk, 3/4 cup white sugar, 1/2 cup baking mix (Bisquick – has both gluten and non-gluten flour mix), 1/4 cup unsalted butter softened, 4 large eggs, 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1 cup flaked coconut and beat on medium for a minute or until mixed. Grease a 9″ pie plate and pour the mixture into the greased pan. Then bake in a preheated oven for about 45 minutes at 350 degrees until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If timed right, this should cook and come out while you and your guest sit down to eat. Serve Warm. Bon Appetit’
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