Cooking for the family is the wife's job here but the missus has picked up a love of Sunday dinners and shepherd's pie during her trips to England so she makes those every once in a while.
@1,387,679 (Father Dave !RsSxeehGwc)
Your English "Sunday roast" is so damn bland and overcooked. Do you even put salt on it?
@previous (D)
Maybe youre cooking them wrong
@previous (Erik !saAqdaazn2)
Then please teach me. How do you cook them? How do you season them?
@previous (D)
Where were you eating bad Sunday roasts?
@1,387,780 (D)
It doesn't need to be over seasoned, as good roasting technique builds depth.
A well-roasted beef or chicken develops a crust with nutty flavours. The carrots, parsnips, potatoes roast in the same tin, picking up the rendered fat, so their natural sweetness intensifies. You don't need additional spices than salt and pepper because the balance comes from the trinity of meat, veg and gravy.
The gravy isn't just stock. It's deglazing the pan, whisking the fond into a reduction, often with a splash of Worcestershire sauce or wine for umami.
Yorkshire puddings add a contrasting texture; crisp, airy shells which are perfect for carrying that gravy. Even the greens, the cabbage, peas, broccoli, sprouts, are chosen for freshness and a touch of bitterness to cut the richness.
All in all it's about building a layered flavour profile.. fat, umami, sweetness, acidity, caramalisation, all working together. It's restraint, not blandness. It's sophistication through simplicity.
(Edited 50 seconds later.)
@1,387,763 (D)
> Your English "Sunday roast" is so damn bland
It's only bland if your palate has been deadened by decades of hyper-processed shit that masquerades as food in America. People who have had normal diets are able to discern the flavours in fresh vegetables and meat.
@previous (Kook !!rcSrAtaAC)
Not really but you can add it
@1,387,818 (Erik !saAqdaazn2)
Are any spices involved besides salt?
@previous (Kook !!rcSrAtaAC)
Some people add a smidgen of pepper.
@1,387,829 (Kook !!rcSrAtaAC)
Generally you add sauces to Sunday dinners, not spices. Mint sauce, cranberry sauce, gravy and stuffing are common ways to add flare to a dinner.
@previous (Father Dave !RsSxeehGwc)
In the gravy are there spices?
@previous (Kook !!rcSrAtaAC)
You can put various herbs in
@previous (Kook !!rcSrAtaAC)
I think most people nowadays use a premade gravy mix which does include various herbs and spices