Please note that my knowledge of English words about cooking is sorely lacking, so if some instruction seems odd or off, just do it in a way that makes sense :)
When it comes to food, the holiday season is my most hated time of the year. No time to prepare properly developed meals, just a rush of coming and going from meal to meal with relatives.
So I usually go with these rather simple and bland foods so that everyone in the family can eat it and enjoy it, and larger amounts can be made fast and easily (and relatively cheap as well)
Come to think of it, apart from the meat, I don't really enjoy these, but it's traditional so....
Meal consists of:
Starter:
Veggie or mushroom or chicken Soup (or just skip it)
Main:
Bacon covered Pork
Mayo Potato "salad"
Rice w corn
Dessert:
Whatever the guests brought for dessert! There's no effing way I'm doing main course And desserts :D
For main course, big piece of lean Pork covered in Bacon strips
- get a piece of lean pork meat (google translate says it's called short loin, but as cuts differ from country to country, I dunno if it's the right part)
- prepare meat: wash it, cut off stuff you don't like, like excess fat.
- Place into a high-walled baking sheet/pan or whatever its called that you put stuff in for baking in oven. Grease or oil the pan before adding the meat!
- Season it with whatever you like on roasted pork. I usually have way too much to do, and with everyone having different tastes, I use a store-bought spice in this case.
- this is probably a good point to start preheating the oven, if you want to. It's not necessary though
- add overlapping strips of BACON (yay!) on top so that it covers the whole piece! It will keep the meat from drying out in the oven, tastes better, and looks cool :D
- add a bit of wine (red gives more taste, but white works as well for a lighter taste) and some water under the meat. Just a little though, you're better off adding more later, rather then having to deal with meat floating in water instead of roasting.
- Alternative.: if you want to, you may try adding a lot more water/wine mix, and end up with cooked meat and lots of "sauce" under it, but I wouldn't recommend it. At least use some more greasy part of a pork for this method!
- open another wine and this time, actually add some to pan!
- put it in the oven and cook it for about 1-1,5 hour depending on size/oven type... Just make sure it's not rare in any way by cutting
- Check on it while in the oven so that it doesn't burn! Top up with wine/water if necessary*!
- wait for it to cool down before slicing it up so it won't break apart
*Top Tip: in case of having a shitty oven like I do that dries food instead of roasting it: cover with aluminium foil! Be sure to remove the foil after 3/4 through so it actually roasts, not just cooks! If you can be bothered, pour the sauce from under the meat over it every now and then. It will help in developing a crispy "skin". Also, be sure to "taste" that wine regularly during the process, it helps with family later :D
Note that you won't need gravy for this meal cos the mayo potato should work as a "lubricant" for the meat instead... ohhh what am I saying! You Always need Gravy! I never make it though... will try this year!
Sides:
(start with this!) For the Mayo Potato "salad" :
If you can, do this a day before the meal!
- clean potatoes, but do not cut them up yet! (if you cook em cut up, they'll turn into a paste)
- cook potatoes fully in heavily salted water, but try to only cook em as much as necessary, you will need the potatoes to stay kinda hard and not break into pieces when sliced later!
- do a few rounds of Arena Commander while waiting for them to cool down, and then cut em up into finger wide slices
- prepare the mayo "sauce" by mixing it with sour cream. Mix to taste/lightness you like.
- coarsely chop some white/salad/purple onions, whichever you like, and add it into the mix. Note that If you or your guests stomachs can't handle raw onion, you need to cook em a little bit before adding into the mix
- add some seasoning if you wish, finely chopped parsley mixes nicely and looks good, if you want more "bite" , try some black or cayenne pepper
- pour the mayo stuff over the sliced potatoes, mix it all up, carefully not to break too much of the potatoes
- Put it into the fridge for at least a few hours before serving! (the longer the better, we do it a day before so it can rest)
There is always someone who doesn't like the mayo stuff, so I always make some simple rice with corn
- use your preferred type of rice and way for cooking rice, and do it
- grab a can of corn and mix it into the cooked rice for some crunch, while rice is freshly cooked and still hot
- realise you "tasted" too much of the corn, open another can, and add it as well
Well, that's it for our usual Christmas family dinner menu. It probably took longer to write it down than making it.
