what don't you understand about it?
I can demonstrate the benefits of a good stuffing to you if you want
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 13:38, 1 reply, 15 years ago)

I don't entirely know what it is and what its function is

( Lampito rise with the moon, go to bed with the sun, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 13:39, Reply)

it can be made of all sorts of things
and its function is to be really tasty.

your typical one for a chicken is basically sage, onion and breadcrumbs
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 13:41, Reply)

And do you actually stuff it into the chicken?
What happens when you slice it? Doesn't it get all soggy?
( Lampito rise with the moon, go to bed with the sun, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 13:42, Reply)

yeah, into the cavity of the chicken
although there is a school of thought that in doing so it doesn't get hot enough to kill the bacteria in it, unless you cremate the chicken, so some people cook it outside on a try or in balls or something.

You generally get a crusty outer bit, and the rest is fairly dense and moist, having soaked up juices from the meat, thus becoming more delicious.

In my experience it is excavated with a spoon.

You can make it with sausagemeat type stuff as well, which works better if you slice it out of the chicken/turkey.

Having stuffing in there doesn't interfere with the normal carving of the meat.
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 13:45, Reply)

inserting the stuffing between the breast and the skin isn't a bad way to do it - helps keep the breast moist too.

(lkjshaglkasjdhglkhjz lkcvl; g;aodh;owih, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 13:48, Reply)

I've never really found that the breast dries out
I've used slices of chorizo betwixt skin and breast on some big leg pieces. That was fucking lovely.
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 13:49, Reply)

I like the sound of that.

(lkjshaglkasjdhglkhjz lkcvl; g;aodh;owih, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 13:53, Reply)

give it a go
it works well and is tasty. leaves you with really crispy delicious skin

on the chicken, not your own
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 13:54, Reply)

I have a week starting tomorrow of cooking whatever I like (gf away) so will try this.

(lkjshaglkasjdhglkhjz lkcvl; g;aodh;owih, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 13:55, Reply)

get to it
if you need more ideas feel free to ask
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 13:58, Reply)

Thanks. I will.
Friday and Sunday are sorted, now Wednesday too thanks to you, only four days remaining.
(lkjshaglkasjdhglkhjz lkcvl; g;aodh;owih, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 14:01, Reply)

It gives flavour to the meat as it's cooked, I think
also, it's fucking delicious.
(berk, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 13:42, Reply)

I've never had a roast dinner, trufax
I must investigate further.
( Lampito rise with the moon, go to bed with the sun, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 13:43, Reply)

How have you managed to go through life without a roast?

( JeffTheDogFucker Can you dig it?, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 13:44, Reply)

WTF??

(lkjshaglkasjdhglkhjz lkcvl; g;aodh;owih, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 13:45, Reply)

O_O

(Himjim died a little more inside on, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 13:46, Reply)

Oh, the humanity!

(BrianHequator was stretching owls, on, or around, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 13:46, Reply)

you poor thing
don't get one somewhere shit though. Find someone from here who knows either how to cook a good roast dinner, or knows where one can be purchased and get them to cook one or take you there.
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 13:47, Reply)

That is sheer craziness, woman
sort it out!
(berk, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 13:48, Reply)

DEAD
TO
ME
(PsychoChomp, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 13:50, Reply)

Poor, poor thing
Get yourself down to the shops this very evening and put this right.

Cooking order: meat first, potatoes, veg.

Edit: Don't roast the veg. Unless it's a parsnip.
(Set your faces to Stunned Bigly, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 13:53, Reply)

Or a potato, surely? Or are you more of a mash man?

(LongJohnBaldry, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 13:56, Reply)

^this
also, roast carrots and butternut squash are fucking awesome.
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 13:57, Reply)

Roast onion and celery is alright as well.

(PsychoChomp, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 13:58, Reply)

Roast celery?!
You're weird.
(berk, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 13:58, Reply)

Need to roast it under the meat to stop it burning
but it's nice.
(PsychoChomp, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 14:00, Reply)

I agree with this
celery is a much maligned vegetable. It has superb flavour imparting qualities.
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 14:06, Reply)

and is excellent raw with cheese.

(lkjshaglkasjdhglkhjz lkcvl; g;aodh;owih, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 14:08, Reply)

Well possibly
but as I don't especially like the flavour of celery I'd rather it fucked off instead of imparting it's flavour to other things which I do like.
(berk, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 14:09, Reply)

Particulary roast onion with roast lamb.

(lkjshaglkasjdhglkhjz lkcvl; g;aodh;owih, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 13:58, Reply)

Like raising
a shoulder off the bottom of your pan with a cacophony of chopped onions and carrots and thyme.

The sweet lamb fat cooks those veg to perfection. *drools*
(Himjim died a little more inside on, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 14:00, Reply)

mmmmmm

( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 14:01, Reply)

Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice.

(lkjshaglkasjdhglkhjz lkcvl; g;aodh;owih, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 14:06, Reply)

I love shoulder of lamb
There's a lot of fat and bone but that's where the flavour is.
(Zoz prayed for twink on, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 14:14, Reply)

When done wrong it can be
abhorently fatty tasting though.

Another favourite method is deboning it, spreading the inside with an olive paste made with garlic, paprika and smoked chili, then rolled and cooked slow on a half filled charcoal bbq.

Shred with forks, insert into pitta, add condiments, die, go to heaven.
(Himjim died a little more inside on, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 14:16, Reply)

fucking hell that sounds awesome
My bbq is suitable for that sort of stuff. I need to do it.
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 14:18, Reply)

damn that sounds good.

(lkjshaglkasjdhglkhjz lkcvl; g;aodh;owih, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 14:20, Reply)

Sounds like the best kebab ever.

(Zoz prayed for twink on, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 14:21, Reply)

I am a new convert
to butternut squash and you are indeed correct.

But let's not get Lampito running before she can walk.
(Set your faces to Stunned Bigly, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 13:59, Reply)

Roast carrots with honey & wholegrain mustard.
Fucking NOM.
( Agnostic Antichrist Baltimora, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 14:03, Reply)

mmmm
I can also recommended putting some carrots in foil with cardamom pods, a few garlic cloves and some grated root ginger, wrapping it into a parcel and cooking in the oven for 20-25 minutes.

really delicious delicately fragrant carrots.
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 14:09, Reply)

Swap the honey for mango chutney
Trust me, my Dad did that this weekend and they were delicious!
( Labia Majora You keep on talking but it makes no sense at all, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 14:11, Reply)

Hmm, tempting

( Agnostic Antichrist Baltimora, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 14:12, Reply)

I well loves the mash.
But roasties are king.
(Set your faces to Stunned Bigly, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 13:57, Reply)

Have to be made with par-boiled king edwards and done in either goose fat or beef lard

(lkjshaglkasjdhglkhjz lkcvl; g;aodh;owih, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 13:59, Reply)

Duck fat is nom too.

(Set your faces to Stunned Bigly, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 14:00, Reply)

I have found that those Rooster potatoes are fucking brilliant for everything

( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 14:00, Reply)

Good roasties are, definitely
But I've had many bad roasties in my time.
( Agnostic Antichrist Baltimora, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 14:04, Reply)

bad roast spuds = worse than bad sex.

(lkjshaglkasjdhglkhjz lkcvl; g;aodh;owih, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 14:05, Reply)

Maybe I've just not had a sufficiently bad roast potato, but I must disagree
If nothing else because I like the mental image of someone going,
"Oh put your pyjamas on, I can't be doing with this! I'm off to the kitchen to eat soggy roast potatoes."
(LongJohnBaldry, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 14:08, Reply)

Nah, you wouldn't eat them cold
Save them til the next day, and fry them up with the veg & meat that's left, serve hot with brown sauce, or cold with Branston Pickle.

Bubble and Squeak, awesome.
( Agnostic Antichrist Baltimora, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 14:10, Reply)

Soate potatoes made from leftover roast spuds works well.

(lkjshaglkasjdhglkhjz lkcvl; g;aodh;owih, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 14:11, Reply)

Definitely
Especially when the skin goes dry, and crunchy (in a bad way). It's a fookin disgrace.
( Agnostic Antichrist Baltimora, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 14:08, Reply)

My mum is only able to make two types of roast potato:
damp or leathery. And she wonders why I always leave before Sunday dinner when I go up to visit..
(berk, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 14:10, Reply)

That's a true shame
My Dad's roasties are so good, I'm proud to be his son.
( Agnostic Antichrist Baltimora, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 14:11, Reply)

I make the Christmas dinner now
we actually had family round to ours last year. Normally they all pretend they're busy so as to avoid mum's cooking.
(berk, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 14:14, Reply)

I can't cook really
but I've done Christmas dinner twice
( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 14:16, Reply)

I'm a pretty good cook
but not nearly as inventive as Vipros or Battered. I probably make better cake than they do though.
/immodest
(berk, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 14:20, Reply)

So far, I've found I can cook, but I'm not really one to experiment
In my life, I've made one utterly magnificent meal for others, but that's about it. (A venison, duck and pheasant pie)

Although I did invent the slow roasted bolognaise sandwich.
( Agnostic Antichrist Baltimora, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 14:21, Reply)

Having tried the brownie
I would bet that this is true.

I did salmon with port wine jelly and soda bread for starter, then traditional dinner with trimmings for the main, and christmas pudding with brandy butter for pudding
( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 14:21, Reply)

my baking skills have got worse as my other cooking skills have improved
so you are almost certainly right.

I love cooking and I love eating more, hence inventiveness and adventurousness. I find can also imagine how things will taste together in my head, which helps.
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 14:22, Reply)

Sweet
Duck fat for the roasties?
( Agnostic Antichrist Baltimora, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 14:17, Reply)

Or goose
there is no other way.
(berk, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 14:18, Reply)

I only had duck fat roasties for the first time last Christmas
Before that, it's always just been Lard.
( Agnostic Antichrist Baltimora, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 14:20, Reply)

I've got a jar of fat from the goose my mum cooked at Easter
it produced about 5 fucking jars of the stuff, but it is seriously good for roasties. If you can believe it, it is even considerably better than duck fat
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 14:24, Reply)

Sounds awesome

( Agnostic Antichrist Baltimora, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 14:26, Reply)

Beef lard is also good.

(lkjshaglkasjdhglkhjz lkcvl; g;aodh;owih, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 14:20, Reply)

Seeing as you were raised veggie, I shouldn't be surprised
All the same, YOUR LIFE WILL REMAIN INCOMPLETE UNTIL SUCH TIME AS YOU HAVE REMEDIED THIS.
(LongJohnBaldry, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 13:55, Reply)

Ah, well that would probably explain it...
she should probably have mentioned that before all the vilifying posts though.
(berk, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 13:58, Reply)

Possibly, although it's been quite amusing to see /OT united in such solidarity over what the poor girl's missed out on
I can only presume the roast does not carry the same significance to vegetarian families - especially considering you couldn't make a convincing gravy with vegetable stock.
(LongJohnBaldry, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 14:00, Reply)

Or a convincing roast out of nuts, for that matter

(berk, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 14:01, Reply)

Bless 'em, I know they're trying
But something that looks like a giant savoury flapjack is no substitute for slabs of roasted animal flesh.
(LongJohnBaldry, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 14:02, Reply)

Amen my sausage munching brother!

(Himjim died a little more inside on, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 14:05, Reply)

Truly, nothing beats a mouthful of luncheon meat
and...erm...cabbage...
(LongJohnBaldry, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 14:14, Reply)

Well,everyone loves a bit of meat, don't they?
Hur hur.

Sorry.
(berk, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 14:06, Reply)

Ooh, especially when it's matured steak
Or BGB as she's mainly known
( Agnostic Antichrist Baltimora, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 14:09, Reply)

I HATE YOU!

( Labia Majora You keep on talking but it makes no sense at all, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 13:55, Reply)

Just a spitroast?

( Agnostic Antichrist Baltimora, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 13:56, Reply)

Don't listen to them
You're not really missing anything.
(Applebite Uh! A cow!, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 14:07, Reply)

WHAT?

(lkjshaglkasjdhglkhjz lkcvl; g;aodh;owih, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 14:08, Reply)

I'm just not really a fan of roast dinner.

(Applebite Uh! A cow!, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 14:10, Reply)

Just couscous

( Labia Majora You keep on talking but it makes no sense at all, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 14:14, Reply)

Lies!

( Agnostic Antichrist Baltimora, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 14:08, Reply)

This is lies
if you make it up to Oxford on a Sunday, I can't offer to cook a roast but I could book you in for hall, who do a decent one
( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 14:11, Reply)

Fuck you health girl.

(PsychoChomp, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 14:13, Reply)

IGNORE THIS WOMAN
She knows not what twaddle she speaks.
(LongJohnBaldry, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 14:19, Reply)