It can happen to anyone. You arrive home late and you have a roast to cook. Dinner time is in half an hour, and most roasts take an hour and a half to two hours to cook. Here’s what to do. This method works best with a piece of meat that has no bone in it or with a chicken.
The first thing to do is to put the oven on to a fairly high setting, hotter than you would normally use for a roast.
With a sharp knife slice the meat into portions of around three quarters of an inch thick. If it is a chicken you are roasting then cut it into quarters with kitchen scissors. If it is a piece of boneless pork, and you can remove the skin easily, then do so and cook it separately. Put all the meat slices into your roasting pan and place in the oven on the top level. Leave to cook for 20 to 25 minutes.
Now its time to turn your attention to the vegetables. Put some water on to boil in a saucepan. Wash and peel your potatoes. It you wish, you can leave the skin on. Its more nutritious and also quicker. Cut them into cubes approximately 1 inch. Cook in the boiling water for about 5 minutes. The potato cubes should be quite firm. If you over cook them its not a disaster, just turn them into mashed potato.
Drain the potato cubes and put them in a bowl. Drizzle a little good quality vegetable oil over them and toss around. Place on an oiled or non stick tray and put it in the oven on the top shelf, moving the roast meat pieces down a level after turning the meat slices over. The potatoes will take about 15 minutes to crisp, brown and cook through and should be ready when the meat is done.
At this stage you could add an optional gourmet touch – a herb crust on your meat. Mix a cup of breadcrumbs with dried herbs of your choice, a little grated cheese and water or milk to moisten. Spread thinly over the meat pieces. This could be prepared while the potatoes are boiling. The herb crust will need about 10 to 15 minutes to crisp and brown.
Now you need to prepare the green vegetables. Microwave, steam or boil the vegetables of your choice. This only takes a couple of minutes.
The last step is to prepare the gravy. A packet mix gravy is fine to use in this situation and is the quickest option.
Plate up and enjoy the meal. It should only take around half an hour to have a tasty roast meal ready to serve. Prepare to receive compliments.