Red Meat Roast Theory

Fortunately for me, kangaroo meat is relatively easy to get in Australia. I bought this roo conveniently pre-wrapped in roast netting. These two little roasts produce enough meat for four decent servings, and the pair comes for around $7.

Roast is really simple. Throw it in a roasting pan, cover, cook. The end. But there are ways of adding a little panache to this basic meal.

Cook some veg along with the meat. For this meal, I'm just going to cook onions and potatoes, but if you want to, you can pretty much cook a whole stew by adding veggies like carrots and green beans. Click the link for an awesome way to slice onions, and for the potatoes, just cut them into cubes. In a bowl, coat the potato cubes with a little oil or melted butter/margarine.

Sear your roast. Searing means frying the outside of the meat on medium-high heat for a few minutes, on all sides. Searing helps lock in the moisture, which adds a surprising degree of tenderness to the finished product. Don't add any salt yet -- salt draws out the moisture while searing.

I just want to point out this flipper. Look at this thing! I'm going to use it to cook this meal, and then go slay some orcs or something with it. Look for this brute in my upcoming article, Top 10 Manliest Cooking Utensils. 

Alright, now the easy part. Lay your seared roast into a roast pan, toss in the potatoes and onions, and add whatever spice you want. I'm just doing salt and cracked pepper with a little parsley. Cover that with a lid, or just aluminum foil, and bake it somewhere around 200 degrees C for 30-45 minutes, until the potatoes are softened. Just poke a potato with a fork, and if it's easy to push in, you're good. If you like, you can check the roast after about 20 minutes to baste it. Basting means taking spoonfuls of the juices that collect on the bottom, and pouring it back on top the roast. This keeps it a little moister.

If you're wondering, kangaroo
doesn't taste like chicken.

Note that bigger roasts are going to take longer to cook through, but these little guys are done in 30 mins.

To finish things off, wrap the roast loosely in aluminum foil, and give it 15 minutes. Think of it as a time out. It's gotten all agitated with the onions and potatoes, and it just needs some time alone in its own space. You know, for the flavour to settle. While that's happening, pop the onions and potatoes, with some of the roast juice poured over top, back in the oven. Those 15 minutes should be enough time to put a nice, golden roast on them. Keep them in for longer if you like them a bit crispier. 

And that's it! Just your meat and potatoes. And onions. So awesome.