Lakeside Meats

The Perfect Roast Chicken

Classic Pot Roast with Garlic-Thyme Gravy

comfort foods

1 (5 to 6 pound) roasting chicken
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large bunch fresh thyme, plus 20 sprigs 
1 lemon, halved
1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, melted
1 large yellow onion, thickly sliced
4 carrots cut into 2-inch chunks
1 bulb of fennel, tops removed, and cut into wedges
Olive oil

1.  Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and pat the outside dry.
3. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, both halves of lemon, and all the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Place the onions, carrots, and fennel in a roasting pan. Toss with salt, pepper, 20 sprigs of thyme, and olive oil. Spread around the bottom of the roasting pan and place the chicken on top.
4. Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove the chicken and vegetables to a platter and cover with aluminum foil for about 20 minutes. Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve it with the vegetables. 

Garlic-Herb Roast Pork

2 pounds boneless center-cut pork loin
4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
2 teaspoons coarse salt
1 tablespoon minced fresh sage
2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary leaves
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper1 tablespoon olive oil

1.  Heat oven to 450 degrees F. Pat pork dry with paper towels, place in shallow roasting pan. In small bowl, stir together garlic, salt, sage, rosemary, pepper and olive oil to make a paste. Rub garlic paste over all surfaces of pork loin; place in oven, roast for 15 minutes.
2. Turn oven temperature down to 300 degrees F., roast for 15-20 minutes, take internal temperature using an instant-read thermometer. When the internal temperature of the roast is 145 degrees F (63 degrees C)., remove from oven, tent loosely with foil and let rest 10 minutes before slicing to serve.

3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 3-4 lb. boneless chuck roast, trimmed, seasoned with salt & pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 cups low-sodium beef broth
1 Tbsp. Worchestershire sauce
2 cups sliced onions
6 medium carrots, peeled & cut into 2- to 3-inch pieces
6 cloves garlic, chopped
3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 dried bay leaves 
1. Heat oil in saute pan over medium-high heat. Brown roast on all sides, 10 minutes total. Transfer roast to a 4- to 6 qt. slow cooker.
2. Stir flour into pan; cook 1 minute. Add tomato paste and cook 1 minute more.
3. Deglaze saute pan with wine, cooking until liquid evaporates. Sitr in broth and Worchestershire; bring mixture to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits.
4. Transfer broth mixture to the slow cooker; add onions, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, and bay leaves. Cover and cook until meat is fork-tender, on high-heat setting for 4-5 hours or on low-heat setting for 8-9 hours. Discard thyme sprigs and bay leaves before serving.