Roasting without Roasting

Apologies in advance to any Vegetarians or Vegans.

Winter is coming - traditionally that is associated with Roasts - sitting down with the family on a cold Sunday Night with a Roast fresh from the oven.

But - what if you could have that Roast during the week, without the drama and hassle?

Back in my life pre-children I found this quick little way of having a mid week roast - now bear in mind back in my pre-children life I wasn't getting home until 7.30pm+ at night so the thought of doing too much cooking was often too much to bear.

That was were my friends Oven Bags come in - one of the best inventions ever - with these little babies you can have a roast on your table inside an hour (oven dependant of course).

****WARNING - hot steam will escape from the bag during the cooking process - esnure all care is taken to avoid burns - I prick a couple of small holes at the top of the bag before placing in the oven to try to minimise the risk.


Roast Chicken:

I used to do these in single bags - one for me, one for husband person- obviously not practical in families so I would be inclined to do meat in one bag/vegetables in another (unless ou are going to go down a rice/mashed potato/salad only road).

1. Preheat the Oven to 180deg
2. Place chicken breast (skin free) in oven bag - if doing single servings add diced vegetables in the same bag (potato/sweet potato/pumpkin/carrot/onion/garlic/capsicum etc)
3. Drizzle lightly with oil and sprinkle small amount of Rock Salt in the bag
4. Tie up bag and shake to even distribute oil
5. Lay flat on oven tray and bake until potatoes are well cooked (that seems to be a reasonable guide - that and the chicken should feel 'squishy' under your touch)
6. Remove from bag and serve with your favourite greens.

ROAST PORK

1. Preheat oven to 180 deg
2. Place thick cut pork chops (one per person) in roasting pan (I use the large rectangle pyrex dish)
3. Lightly drizzle with olive oil and season to taste - I used a few plops of crushed ginger per chop
4. In a separate tray - place roast vegetables
5. Roast until meat is tender - generally about an hour

I'm sure the same principal of Roast Chicken could apply to Steak but you would need a thick cut steak.

So there you go - Roast meals without the hassle (and less oven cleaning) that you can have during the week without using the slowcooker.