What Should I Do With 8 Pounds of Vidalias? - Page 2

livius drusus · #26 07-01-2011, 11:16 PM

That's it? You don't do anything to the meat itself? Like tie it up with rosemary or somefing?

Kael · #27 07-01-2011, 11:16 PM

Not unless you want to.

Qingdai · #28 07-01-2011, 11:17 PM

Use them as artichoke holders (sliced into rings, put on the bottom of the pot, steam the artichokes on them).

Or make me an ark, 8 vidalias by 8 vidalias. Put two of every smilie on it.
:boat:

ETA: brown/sear the meat first before cooking it slow and long, is the best way I've made pot roast.

lisarea · #29 07-01-2011, 11:18 PM

It is good! Thanks for asking! I recently did an extended project to hone down my pot roast technique, and I think I got it just right.

Anyways, in my typical recipe style:

Get a really fucked up, ugly looking pot roast. Generally speaking, the cheaper the better. You want lots of marbling. It can be just about any pot roast cut, but I usually get chuck, rump, or bottom round, just because those are the ones they seem to have most often here.

On the stove, sweat a whole buncha minced garlic in OO in a Dutch oven, then add a blend of savory herbs. I usually use something like a Bouquet Garni or Provence herbs, not necessarily pre-blended, but those general categories, plus a couple of bay leaves, some kosher salt, and black pepper, either cracked or ground, because you're not going to strain the liquor.

Sweat that into a fragrant, gross looking sludge, then pour on a LOT of full bodied red wine. A shiraz or zinfandel or merlot or something. I don't really drink wine usually, so I'm open to any suggestions or angry recriminations. It does have to be red wine, though, and it has to be a lot. Like half a bottle at least. Seriously. You can brown the meat if you want to before you add the wine, but I've found it really doesn't make too much of a difference in the end. If you did not brown the meat before, add it now.

Now pour on a whole bunch of Worcestershire sauce. Pretty much of that!

Cook this basically all day, on low heat. At least four hours, more if you can. You want the meat to be falling apart when you put a fork in it.

Once the meat is ready, take it out, set it aside, and put vegetables into the liquor. In this case, you could use just quartered onions. I normally use onions, potatoes, and carrots. Put the meat back on top of the vegetables and cook it until the vegetables are done.

You should have a lot of liquor left over after the pot roast is gone. If you did the onion thing, I'd maybe dice up the cooked onions and put them back in, so they're better distributed and easier to use, then freeze it in portions.

LadyShea · #30 07-01-2011, 11:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by livius drusus

That's it? You don't do anything to the meat itself? Like tie it up with rosemary or somefing?

Leaner cuts give you more meat (on accounta less loss) but hardly any flavor. I usually add a bouillon or some stock to the water to punch up the beefy...other than that you can throw any spice or herb in there you want

maddog · #31 07-01-2011, 11:55 PM

make dried onions

#2673

livius drusus · #32 07-02-2011, 12:05 AM

Okay I'm definitely going to try the lisarea pot roast. This weekend, if my beef dealer is holding. I'll do a whole slow cooker marathon, caramelized onions one day, pot roast the next. :plotting:

I'm also going to do that stocking thing iruk posted about, only I'm going to buy new ones because of the grossness.

lisarea · #33 07-02-2011, 12:21 AM

Oh! I forgot! Mushrooms are also really good in pot roast. I just don't normally use them because TLM is a mushroom hater and I am a pathetic and weaselly enabler. But when I do, I put some in with the vegetables or, if dried, in the original liquor.

godfry n. glad · #34 07-02-2011, 12:56 AM

I think you should do some deep fried onion rings.

Rings.

my precious....

Kael · #35 07-02-2011, 01:06 AM

I am very sad about mushrooms, 'cause I'm the only one in the house who likes them. I don't get to have them very often, unless I cook them separate and add them to just my portion.

lisarea · #36 07-02-2011, 01:23 AM

Every now and again, I make a huge batch of a kind of cream of mushroom sludge that can be reconstituted either as cream of mushroom soup, just like the cans of Campbell's but tasting way better, or as a mushroom gravy as is.

You could do that and just store it in individual sized servings so you can get your mushroom on.

Gooch's dad · #37 07-02-2011, 03:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lisarea

ETA Gooch's dad: Did your parents grow up during the depression? My dad did, and that was what I normally attributed his onion sandwiches (and pepper sandwiches and the like) to. Necessity, though. That is the mother of invention, and you can quote me on that.

Yes, he was born in 1930, and he and his younger brother had to sleep out in the chicken coop, even in winter in South Dakota.

We didn't eat onion sandwiches with anything but sweet Vidalia onions. We're not that crazy.

erimir · #38 07-02-2011, 03:34 AM

I think you should tie them to your belt, as is the fashion.

lisarea · #39 07-02-2011, 03:39 AM

Yeah? You know what I think we should do, Captain Youth-a-Lot?

I THINK WE SHOULD TIE THEM TO YOUR BELT.

BrotherMan · #40 07-02-2011, 03:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gooch's dad

Yeah, raw onion sandwiches. That's what Vidalias are for, IMO. Slice it up, put three or four slices between two pieces of bread with a bit of mayo--yum!

You forgot the cilantro and bacon.

Anastasia Beaverhausen · #41 07-02-2011, 04:35 AM

This. You'll want to make it a lot; it is fucking delicious.

erimir · #42 07-02-2011, 05:10 AM

You could make something oniony along the jelly-jam-preserves spectrum.

Qingdai · #43 07-02-2011, 06:14 AM

Oh yeah, french onion soup. That freezes well too.

livius drusus · #44 07-02-2011, 06:37 PM

I love French onion soup but have never made it home. Are you sure sweet onions will work? I considered getting 10 pounds of yellow onions just to make French onion soup, but the siren call of the Vidalias was too much for me to resist.

LadyShea · #45 07-02-2011, 06:46 PM

Try it. It's not like you're short on onions. The Vidalias may make it interestingly different.

I love caramelized onions in heavy cream over pierogies (or as hubby's Germans-from-Russian family calls them Varenykys which they pronounce as varenick)

livius drusus · #46 07-02-2011, 06:55 PM

A rump roast has been secured. It's small, though, just 2 pounds 6 oz. Will that survive a whole day's cookery?

LadyShea · #47 07-02-2011, 06:59 PM

It will survive, but don't have a party with it or anything. It will feed 1-2 light eaters. The liquor will be nice though.

livius drusus · #48 07-02-2011, 07:09 PM

How is it served? Do you slice it or pile it up or ...? I'm thinking maybe since it's so small I should make sammiches from it.

godfry n. glad · #49 07-02-2011, 07:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by livius drusus

How is it served? Do you slice it or pile it up or ...? I'm thinking maybe since it's so small I should make sammiches from it.

Carved, with sides of horseradish paste and rustic stoneground mustard.

Oh, and make a clear gravy to ladle over the roasted new potatoes and onions.

I suppose you should have something green to go with it...I guess.

godfry n. glad · #50 07-02-2011, 07:53 PM

I actually think that making French onion soup with the bulk of the Vidalias is the best suggestion. A bit versatile and it would prevent composting major volumes.

Still...

Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,

Yeah...I'd like the nine ring basket, if I could.